Adelaide Snape
by Mia-Marauder-Potter
Summary: View note. A few months after the war, Hermione is sent back in time to 1971. With Aberforth's help, she's renamed Adelaide and adopted by Sarah Snape. A year later, an accident brings Draco Malfoy to the past as well and they must navigate the decade until they can get back.
1. Note

Hello!

I wanted to add a note to this fic before we get into it.

The only reason I'm actually posting it is that I need a place to put it so that I don't continue messing with it on google docs when I reread it. This fic was purely for therapy reasons to process some trauma, so there is a trigger warning for rape/sexual assault specifically in the third and fourth chapters.

So take it easy on me, please. I _could_ edit this and make it all worthy of being posted, but I'm not going to. It serves me no purpose to edit it and it's okay enough as is.

I'm going to post all of the chapters immediately. I am aware of the abrupt ending to the fic. There is a chance that Adelaide and her friends and family will be involved in some future projects like multiverse fics, or I might be interested in continuing her story later on in little bits and pieces like one shots.

For now, what you get today is what you get. I hope you enjoy it if you decide to read it.


	2. Chapter 1

**July 31st, 1998**

**The Burrow**

Sirius Black rushed through the tilted house, taking the stairs two steps at a time. His hand slammed onto the door just as Harry and Hermione approached it. There was a window on said door, and his godson just stared at him in surprise. "No! Not yet. We're not finished."

"Sirius!" Hermione groaned. "You already delayed an hour. What's going on?"

"Nothing, nothing. Just a… mishap. Everything's fine."

"Then let us in," Harry requested, eyebrow raised.

"No."

Harry sighed. "I don't understand why you're making such a big deal of my birthday. It's just a day."

Sirius placed his free hand on his chest, looking hurt. "This is my first year as a free man since you were _one_! Of course I'm going to make a big deal of it."

"We'll go around to the back," Hermione suggested, tugging on Harry's arm. "If it's not done in a half hour, we're coming in."

"Yes, sir!" Sirius snapped off a salute as his godson and his friend made their way around the outside of the house. His hand slipped off of the door and he breathed out a sigh of relief. He turned on his heel and sped up the stairs again, only slowing as he reached the fourth floor and shoved open the door. His eyes fell on two tall redheads, and they stopped short at the sight of him.

"Sirius!"

"We were just-,"

"Wrapping up our present-,"

Sirius's eyes narrowed. "She's around here _somewhere_. Drop the prank and help me find her!"

Fred tilted his head. "Who?"

"Rita Skeeter!" Sirius snapped, turning around the room while he whispered a spell quietly. "_Animagus Revelare_." A pink light flashed over the room and multiple objects became see through, but no animagus was shown. "Damn it!"

"How did she even get in here?" George asked, opening the door and leading the way out of the room. The group of three - the only people, aside from Remus, that knew she was there - made their way down the stairs and into the living room, where Sirius repeated the spell. "The wards should have stopped her!"

"Her animagus form is a beetle," Sirius explained. "Hermione stuck her in her animagus form and kept her in a jar for a year after blackmailing her. She told me about it a couple of years ago."

Fred and George shared a look but neither said anything to the harried Sirius as he moved into the small dining room. Molly had finished cooking the night before and had put the food under a stasis charm so she'd be able to take care of the finishing touches for the party - she was currently in the backyard with Ginny, Charlie, and Bill setting up the tents for the party. Arthur was still at work, but he'd promised to be home in time for the party. He'd been extremely busy since the end of the war, cleaning up the messes in the muggle world. It had seemed Voldemort hadn't cared whether muggles knew or not, and they'd guessed his next target, after the British Wizarding World, was the muggle world.

Sirius let out a particularly high shriek as the pink light flashed over the room again, and a small beetle was highlighted underneath the table. Fred and George dove for it as Sirius kept the spell up, making it easier to track her. George's body slammed to the ground, and the pink light was seen shining through his hand. Sirius breathed out a sigh of relief and dropped the spell. "You've got her!"

The twins both scrambled out from under the table, and Sirius raised his wand at the animagus. "_Finite Incantatum_!"

George took a large step back and dropped the beetle as it slowly grew into Rita Skeeter, who immediately tried to run.

"_Incarcerus_!" Fred yelled. Ropes curled around the witch, and she was thrown to the floor as her legs locked together. The three wizards raised their wand at her as she stared in shock and horror. Sirius, being an officially free man as of the month before, was still widely feared by most.

"Don't bother," Sirius told them as George moved to speak. "We've got a lot to do. I'll call Tonks and have her finally arrested."

"Sounds good to me," Fred agreed, casting the spell to freeze the woman as well. Only her eyes could move now as she was frozen and bound, and they levitated her out of the house and past the wards into Arthur's shed, where they waited for Tonks. Once she was officially removed from the area, Sirius let out a deep breath and relaxed. The twins had already wandered off, and he was left alone with Remus, who had come to sit with him to wait for his wife, who would be coming back later when her shift was over.

"Stressed?" Remus asked, nudging Sirius's shoulder. The man nodded, leaning back against the wall.

"You know what happens."

"I do," Remus agreed, scratching his neck lightly. "How did she seem?"

"Fine," the animagus shrugged. "Annoyed at me as usual. Not… herself."

"She _is_ herself, Pads," Remus reminded him for the hundredth time. "She's just not who _we_ know. Not yet."

"What if we're wrong?"

"We're not," the werewolf shook his head. "You know that. She knew too much. She told us too much. She told _Regulus _too much."

Sirius sighed.

"It'll be fine," his friend tried. "She'll be fine."

"You don't know that," Sirius argued. "You barely even know what happened."

"Snape said-,"

"Maybe he was lying!"

"Why don't we just ask him?" Remus reasoned.

Sirius scowled. "I only ever put up with him for her after fifth year and you know that."

"Yes, I do, but now it's _about_ her. And Leon. Don't you think you can be civil for two minutes for her sake?"

A sigh escaped his lips. "Fine, but you have to bring him here."

Remus rolled his eyes. "He's on the guest list. I'll just ask him to come early."

It was nearly twenty minutes later when the bitter man and the werewolf entered the shed and approached Sirius, and Snape narrowed his eyes.

"What is this about?"

Sirius resisted the urge to make a face. Barely.

"We wanted to ask about Addy... and Leon," Remus whispered nervously. Since they were outside of the wards and in a generally muggle neighborhood, any magic would have to be approved beforehand if they didn't want a letter about it. It wasn't illegal, but it was rather frowned upon as many wizards and witches weren't too careful. The want to place a silencing ward on the shed was ignored.

Snape stiffened slightly at the names. "You know what happened."

"Yes, but we need more information!" Sirius argued. "You only said you sent her back here and she told _us_ that she left from Harry's eighteenth birthday party. What happens?"

Snape scowled. "She will be injured. I do not know how badly. It was the only way to save her."

"You hurt her?" Sirius snapped angrily. Snape's eyes flashed the way they always had in defense of Adelaide, and the other man stepped back a little. If there was one thing they'd never fought about, it was that they wanted to keep her safe. Still, Snape hadn't always agreed on how to do that, and it was always surprising how angry he'd get in her defense.

"I did what I could to save her! Unlike yourself! You knew she was there, you knew she was in danger!"

"Hey!" Remus interrupted. "Calm down. Do you have any more information on when she's supposed to leave?"

"None," Snape answered stiffly. "Only that it is to be tonight at some point."

"What about Leon?" Sirius cut in.

"I know just as much as you do," Snape glared. It was a particular sore spot that they'd all tried to avoid thinking or talking about. "He left early. That's all Adelaide told anyone, Black."

Remus sighed. "Okay. We'll get a first aid kit ready."

"I've brought one," the other man replied sharply, tapping his pockets. "No need."

"Oh… right."

Xx

Harry grinned as Sirius bounced across the yard and stopped in front of him. The older man had become much happier since being cleared, and he'd spent time in a clinic that was placed in a time bubble for mental healing. After that, he'd come back much calmer and clearer than he had been since Harry had met him in his third year. Remus and Tonks had also gone, though they'd gone for physical healing. The war had taken a toll on them, and they'd both nearly died. Luckily - or maybe unluckily - Ted Tonks had gotten there in time and had saved them, though he'd died in the process. Fred, too, had been hurt, though he'd only spent a day in the infirmary before being let go. Percy had managed - with the help of Draco Malfoy, of all people - to hold the wall up just enough that Fred had been able to get free before being crushed to death. All in all, Harry had lost very few people he'd cared for, something he was immensely grateful for.

Though he hadn't forgotten his fifth year. He never could.

"We're ready, pup," Sirius grinned as Remus walked up behind him. "Just had a... _rogue bug_ we needed to take care of."

Harry heard Hermione gasp and turned to look at her. She was staring at Sirius with her hands over her mouth and her eyes wide, and he just barely caught the sight of Sirius subtly shaking his head at her.

"This will just be a small party, right?" He asked hopefully. Remus chuckled, but no one replied as they made their way into the kitchen where the rest of the guests had gathered while Harry had been distracted in the backyard.

His hopes were crushed as he looked around.

The entire Weasley clan, all of the DA, the Order, his old teachers, and multiple other classmates and friends that had graduated or that were from other schools were gathered in the much too small room, all grinning at him. He stood dumbly in the door, blinking.

"Come on, Harry!" Tonks laughed, waving him in. He nodded a little and took a few steps forward until he was in the center of the room.

"Um… hi."

Hermione chuckled. "Harry, you led the DA for _months_ and you can't manage a quick speech at your birthday party?"

"You didn't tell me there'd be so many people!" he argued, looking around. He caught the gaze of Ginny, who was openly laughing at him and scowled. "I don't like surprises."

"Are these people not all your friends?" Hermione challanged.

He looked again. Every Order member, every DA member, every student… she was right. He did consider everyone his friend. His shoulders slumped for barely a second before he straightened and smiled at the large crowd.

"Hi… um, thank you all for being here! I hope you didn't bring presents. I'd much rather you just have a nice time. I'd like to say that I don't see a single person here that, through the hard times, didn't support me, and for that, I am so grateful. I truly do consider you all my friends, and I'm so glad you could be here. I hope I get to talk to everyone tonight, but seeing as there's so many of you, if I don't, please owl me. I'd love to talk or get some tea. Anyways… have fun!"

He coughed awkwardly and shuffled behind Hermione under the rouse of looking at the snacks. His friend laughed and moved away to talk to Remus and Sirius, who had been giving her looks since they'd walked in.

"What's going on?"

"Huh?" Sirius replied, confirming her suspicion that something was going on.

She waved her hand slightly. "You keep looking at me. What's up?"

Remus smiled. "After Harry is your birthday. We're just discussing that."

"You're not planning on _doing _something for it, are you?"

"Of course we are, Kitten," Sirius laughed, tugging at one of her curls lightly, a habit he'd had since he'd met her years ago.

"But I'll be in school," she argued, ignoring his hand. "I can't."

"We were thinking we'd celebrate a month before. So August 19th."

Hermione frowned at them. "I don't really like parties for me."

"Too bad," Remus told her firmly in his teacher voice.

She sighed. "So… earlier… was that Rita Skeeter, by any chance?"

Sirius nodded. "She snuck in. We think she got into someone's pocket as they passed through the wards."

"You caught her though, right?"

"Of course," the man agreed. "Tonks came and picked her up."

Hermione hummed, glancing around the room. "Where… where are the twins?"

"Huh?"

"Where are Fred and George?" She clarified, searching again. The lack of the tall twins made her nerves hitch. She hated when they were out of sight - she always assumed they were planning some horrible prank. The fact that they went missing on Harry's birthday, of all days, made her even more anxious.

Sirius's eyes widened. "I saw them in their room earlier when I was looking for the bug. I'm not sure what they were doing, but…"

"Fuck," Hermione hissed, darting out of the room. Remus followed swiftly after her, Sirius on his heels and Snape behind him, too.

When she got to their room, she opened the door to find the room surprisingly empty. Taking a step in, however, proved to be a horrible idea. A small explosion took place as a large magical fist came up to hit her, slamming into her chest and breaking glass. The explosion came from the sands which either fell from the glass or imbedded themselves into her skin and burned her badly. She let out a sharp, surprised scream as she was flung backwards and a bright golden light surrounded her. Before anyone had time to react, Hermione Granger was pulled from the Burrow, disappearing completely.

It was barely two seconds later, however, when a girl with long, curly black hair and golden eyes landed in her place and collapsed to the ground, bleeding.

Xx

**1971**

**Hog's Head**

**Hogsmeade**

Hermione whimpered as she landed. She knew she was injured, could feel it, but she couldn't move. She felt magic flowing dangerously through her, shifting her core and unsettling her magic until finally it stopped and dropped into place. Her core and her magic felt _different_, and she itched to figure out what had happened.

"Who the hell are you?"

The voice was horribly familiar but she still was unable to move. She groaned in pain as she felt blood trickle down her chest and let out a gasp when the man, the owner of the voice, pushed her from on her side to on her back.

"You're a girl. Just a girl. And injured. Can you talk? Are you awake?"

It took all of her energy to nod very slightly. The man hummed quietly, and she felt him stand and walk away. It felt like an eternity before he returned and gave her unknown potions and cast unknown spells on her. She felt something slowly being removed from her chest, but when he was done, she felt leagues better. In fact, she felt as if she could move. And she did.

She opened her eyes.

"Aberforth?" She breathed in surprise, regardless of having already recognized his voice. The hard man stared back at her.

"And who the hell are you?" He asked again. She frowned in surprise. He knew her. He'd helped her, and they'd spoken after the war as well. He'd helped her find homes for the elves that had lost their masters in the war.

"I'm… where am I? What year is it?"

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I better take you to my brother."

"No!"

"Excuse me?"

She took a short breath. "He's… I just don't trust him with my secrets right now. He might be a good man but he isn't infallible and he certainly thinks he is. I… I trust you more."

Aberforth sighed. "You're one of them time travelers aren't you?"

She winced. "You haven't answered me. What year is it?"

"1971."

She gasped loudly. "Oh my god. I… yes. I am. I'm from 1998."

"And what happened to you, girl?"

She shook her head. "I know what it was. It was this stupid punching box. It hit my chest, my… oh my god. My time turner!"

"The glass in your chest," Aberforth nodded. She let out a shaky breath.

"It must have broken into my chest and sent me back in time. Far back…"

"Why did you have a time turner?"

She shrugged. "For my classes, I guess. McGonagall never asked for it back. I think she knew I'd need it."

The man stared at her for a long minute. "I don't know what we're going to do with you."

"I have to get back."

"Time travel is extremely experimental. Barely any real research has been done. It might take… years."

She felt herself pale. "No…"

"You need to find a place to stay."

"I don't… I don't know where to go."

Aberforth frowned at her. "I might. An old friend has a son that's about to go into Hogwarts. We can de-age you and send you with him and reverse the effects when we find a way to send you back."

"I don't know…"

"You have a better idea? Something safer?"

"No."

"Well, then I suppose I should glamour your core."

"My core?" She frowned at him, uncomfortable with the idea. Her core was basically made of her magic and her very being, though it also made up her physical self, which was why glamours worked to change appearances.

"Yes. If it will last through years, it needs to be attached to your core."

She bit her lip. "What will you do?"

"I will give you the potion first and then turn your hair black. Your eyes… I'll see what I can do."

"What?" She stared at him in confusion. "Why?"

"Are they not normally golden?"

Her gasp answered his question, and she hurriedly summoned a mirror. To her surprise, when she looked in the mirror, her eyes were no longer brown but rather a brilliant gold instead. "Oh my god. What happened?"

"I'd assume it was the time turner," he suggested. "The sands of time have not been studied very well."

She bit back the panicked tears she felt. She already missed Harry, and she hated the idea of going through this without him. Still, she nodded shortly and took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's go."

Xx

In all honesty, she wasn't sure what she'd been expecting. She knew Aberforth and Albus weren't close and therefore likely didn't have many mutual friends, but…

The Snape family?

Was it a joke?

Sure, they were civil in the future. He'd almost died for them - Sirius had saved his life. Everyone had made up in the end, and even the living Marauders and Snape were able to speak without strangling one another. Usually.

But to live with him?

She looked at Aberforth and blinked as they waited for the door to be opened. There was no floo as it was a muggle home - since Snape's father was a muggle - and they stood at the door waiting. She tapped her foot uncomfortably. "Are you… sure?"

"She's a kind woman," he told her quietly. She'd been given the potion and he'd glamoured her all within an hour, and she was still feeling what she assumed was reverse growth pains. She was approximately eleven years old with straight, sleek black hair and the most intriguing gold eyes. He'd fixed her teeth for her as they'd reverted to the buck state they'd been in at that age. "Her son has potential as well."

She scoffed but didn't reply.

The door opened slowly, and Hermione did her best not to stare. Standing before her was an eleven year old Severus Snape with a redheaded girl that could only be Lily Evans. She snapped her mouth closed and looked up at Aberforth in an effort not to be rude.

"Hello, Severus," Aberforth greeted. "Is your mother home? I've got a very urgent issue to speak with her about."

"Of course," Severus replied, nodding politely. "She's in the sitting room. Father is still on his trip. Can I ask who this is?"

"Adelaide," Aberforth answered. "Would you like to talk with her while I speak with your mother?"

"Is she…?" Lily asked quietly. Apparently, she'd already met the other Dumbledore man and felt comfortable asking about magic. Aberforth nodded.

"She is a witch, yes."

Lily's smile lit up the room. "Great!" She grabbed Hermione - or Adelaide's - wrist and pulled her inside. "We were just talking about why we want to be in which House."

"Oh!" She grinned back, letting herself be pulled in. She might as well go with it, she decided. There was no use fighting if she had years of this, no matter how uncomfortable she was.

Meanwhile, Aberforth wandered through the familiar house and found his way into the sitting room where Sarah Snape was knitting on a couch. She looked up as he walked in and a bright smile lit up her face. "Abe!"

"Sarah," he greeted happily. "It's been a while."

"It has," she agreed. "But you don't visit for nothing. Is something wrong?"

He sighed. She never was one to beat around the bush. They could get on with pleasantries afterwards. "I do have a bit of a problem. Earlier this evening, a young woman appeared in my bar with injuries. She's from the future, Sarah."

"Oh, my," his friend replied, putting her hands in her lap to look up at him.

"She doesn't trust Albus."

"That's wise of her," Sarah nodded firmly. The woman had been there the night Ariana had died, and she agreed with Aberforth that Albus had been the one to kill their sister. Ever since, Aberforth had as little contact as possible, despite living so close.

"I've de-aged her. She is eleven now when she was nineteen before."

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "What are you getting at?"

"Severus is going to school in the fall."

The woman across from him threw her head back in exasperation. "I can't just adopt another child! I think Lucas will notice!"

"Sarah, please," Aberforth sighed. "I have no other options. I cannot take care of her myself. I don't trust anyone else. Your son will be good for her. I sense she's had a lot of… issues. She had a scar on her arm… it's still there. She covers it with a shirt. Something happened to this girl. I think you'll be good for her."

"And Lucas?"

Aberforth's eyes darkened. "She can hold her own against him."

Sarah sighed. "Let me see her."

"Adelaide!"

The newly young girl made her way into the room alone after a short minute, shutting the door behind her. She smiled kindly at Sarah and nodded politely. "Hello."

"Aberforth tells me you're from the future. You're nineteen."

"I am," she nodded tiredly.

"And your name?"

"Adelaide Morgan," Aberforth answered for her. She wanted to scowl but she truly didn't hate it.

"Her _real_ name, Abe."

"Hermione Jean Granger," she replied softly.

Sarah let out a sigh. "My husband is hard to live with. He punishes with physical punishments. Do you think you could deal with that?"

Her mind wandered back to Bellatrix. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

"Well… welcome to the family, Adelaide Morgan Snape."

Xx

The three talked for a while before Sarah called Severus and Lily in. She'd been surprised by Lily's presence but the girl had said they were like family and apparently she'd meant it.

"Severus, Lily, we will be adopting Adelaide Morgan. Questions about her past are absolutely forbidden _no matter what_. I want you both to make her feel welcome and loved. We will say she is your twin, Severus."

"What d'you wanna be called?" Lily wondered, smiling at her. She considered the question.

"Whatever you want. Adelaide, Addy, Morgan, anything works. I don't mind."

Severus nodded firmly. She was surprised by how seriously he was taking this. There was no animosity towards her and she felt almost as though he already cared for her. "When is your birthday?"

"Oh!" She blinked. "Um. September 19th."

"Oh no!" Sarah gasped. "You'll be in school. How awful. We'll have to celebrate before you leave, I suppose."

She shook her head quickly. "No, I don't mind. I don't need a party or anything."

"Don't be silly," Sarah scoffed. "It'll be family. Me, Severus, Lily, Aberforth, and Lucas."

"Okay…"

Lily linked their arms before doing the same with Severus and looking up at the woman before them. "We're going out to the garden, Mrs. Snape!"

"Okay, Lils," the woman chuckled. "Be back by sundown for tea, alright? And then we'll send you home to your parents."

Lily pouted. "Do we have to?"

"I think they'd be opposed to a kidnapping," Sarah nodded with a laugh.

Xx

To Adelaide's surprise, she didn't meet Lucas for a full month. In fact, he even missed her birthday celebration. She didn't really mind. She was growing more and more concerned as she learned more about him. He sounded incredibly like Harry's Aunt and Uncle and they were horrible people - people she never wanted to meet again.

It was the day before their trip to Diagon Alley when he finally came home from his business trip.

It had become routine to spend the day in the garden with Lily and Severus talking about Hogwarts and anything else they could think of. Occasionally, Sarah would entertain them with magic when she felt certain her husband wouldn't return, and it amused her son and his friend to no end.

When the man returned home, though, Addy was in the kitchen with Severus and Lily eating a snack while Sarah was at the store, grocery shopping.

Just overall bad timing.

The door slammed open, and both Lily and Severus stiffened. Adelaide looked between them with a frown. "What is it?"

"It's his dad," Lily whispered, slipping out of her chair and to the back door. "I have to go." And with that, she left the house silently, leaving the two of them behind, alone.

Severus reached under the table and found her hand, and she blinked in surprise when he grabbed it tightly and held on as if it were his lifeline. She squeezed back, staring at the door, waiting.

And then it opened.

A tall man in muggle jeans and a sweatshirt walked in. He had short, cropped black hair and black eyes that swept over the room, stopping quickly as they fell on the two children. "What the hell is this? You know you're not allowed friends in the summer!"

"I know father, but she's not-,"

"Where the hell is your mother? Why isn't she enforcing my rules?"

"Sir, I'm not his friend," Adelaide spoke up. "I know you've been away on a trip. A friend of your wife came by. There was an emergency and I was in danger. I needed a family so she offered me a home - she adopted me."

His eyes widened with quiet rage. Severus squeezed her hand tighter, and she tensed as the man stalked forward, his eyes burning holes into her head. "So you're my kid, huh?"

"I, um, I suppose."

The slap that landed across her cheek shocked her, and she let out a surprised whimper as her hand let go of Severus and came up to her stinging face.

"Then you don't speak to me unless I speak to you!" He screamed. She watched in horror as his hand came up to her throat and closed around it tightly. She remembered the last time this had happened. They'd been captured in the woods, and she'd mouthed off to Dolohov. He'd choked her a little before Greyback distracted him.

Greyback wasn't there now. However...

"Lucas!"

He let go of her throat abruptly, and it was only then that she realized he'd picked her up as she crumpled to the ground. Severus scrambled to her side as she coughed, squeezing her eyes shut in pain.

"Sarah, you're home."

Suddenly, it clicked in her mind. The man was abusive but only when his wife wasn't around. Now she understood why the woman was always so hesitant to leave the house.

Severus touched his hand gently to her neck and she winced hard. There would be bruises there, no doubt. She knew that if he'd held on for much longer, she likely would've passed out. Even so, her chest hurt from how long he'd gripped her for and she didn't look back as her adoptive brother helped her stand and pulled her from the room, practically carrying her to her bedroom. Once she was on the bed, he locked the door and kneeled in front of her.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded quietly. "I'll be fine."

He shook his head. "I'm serious, Addy, are you okay?"

She sighed. "I'll be fine."

"Stop it!"

"You stop it!" She snapped back. "I've been through worse, I'll survive this!"

"You've been through worse than a fully grown man trying to choke you out?" He asked in disbelief.

She stared him in the eyes and pulled her sleeve up slowly until it uncovered her jagged, dark scar. It was still ugly and parts of it were taking literal months to heal, being cursed as it was. His eyes slipped from hers and fell on her arm.

He was silent.

"I'm fine," she said again. "And I'll be fine, no matter what happens."

After a long moment, he seemed to find his voice. "What… happened?"

"I was tortured," she replied quietly. Truthfully, the memory still hurt her horribly. But it was her decision to show him. "And she used a cursed blade to do this."

"Is that why you're here?"

"No."

He paled.

"We're almost to Hogwarts," she reminded him. "So we'll be okay."

"I'm going to take care of you," he declared. She blinked at him in surprise.

"You don't have to-,"

"I'm going to. I'll protect you. I promise. You're my sister now, and I'm going to protect you."

She gave him a small smile, the best she could muster. "Okay. But I'm protecting you, to."

Xx

School shopping was quick and uneventful. Luckily for them, Lucas had taken another job the next day and left immediately. Since his job was so unpredictable, he had no clue when he'd be back. They were okay with that.

But finally, it was time to board the Hogwarts Express.

Sarah side-along apparated Severus and Adelaide and then Lily and her father since her mother was working. The group made their way onto platform 9¾ quickly, and the kids stopped to stare in wonder at the magical train. Still, they were late and so Sarah rushed them along and the three kids boarded the train and found their seats within a matter of five minutes of finding the platform. They counted their blessings as they found an empty compartment and loaded their belongings up, settling down into their seats.

The train journey was boring and as usual, about halfway through, Adelaide needed to stretch her legs. She took a long walk through the entire magically enchanted train, stopping only when she heard a commotion.

She slipped over to the compartment in question and was shocked to see students in Slytherin robes with their wands pointed at first years. She raised her own and jumped in the way. "_Protego_!"

A strong shield appeared in front of herself and the other students, and the unknown curse that had been shot off was absorbed harmlessly into the blue shield. The student - who looked to be a fifth year - scowled at her and cursed before walking away. She let out a deep breath and dropped the shield, turning to see who she'd protected.

She felt the air sucked out of her lungs.

Five boys were staring at her in complete surprise, giving her the time to stare back.

"You're a first year!" One yelled. She looked at him, her eyes widening.

_Sirius Black_.

"Um-,"

"Leave her alone," another one said. "Maybe she practiced at home. Some purebloods do."

_James Potter_!

"That sounds illegal," a small voice piped in.

_Peter Pettigrew…_

"What do you care?" A tired boy wondered. "Lots of people do it. I'm sure _you_ did it."

_Remus Lupin._

"Um… hello. Sorry for barging in, I just thought you could use some help."

Sirius grinned at her. "No problem. Barge in whenever you want. I'm Sirius."

"I'm James."

"Remus."

"Peter."

She stared at them all and forced a smile. "I'm Adelaide. My brother calls me Addy but you can call me whatever you want."

"You've got a brother?" Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Is he in school too?"

"Yeah, um, we're twins. His name is Severus."

"Cool!" James grinned. "I always wanted a twin. Or a sibling…"

"What House do you wanna be in?" Remus asked with a kind smile. He seemed much less damaged than the older version and the thought broke her heart.

She shrugged. "There's good parts to each House. I'd love to be brave, but kind is wonderful too. Wise is always nice, but cunning is a good thing as well. Anything would be okay with me as long as I'm with good people. I certainly hope we can be friends… even if I'm not in the same House."

Truthfully, she had a feeling she wouldn't be in Gryffindor anymore. She'd changed far too much, and she knew she was a different person overall. She didn't mind, but she hoped to be friends with at least James to provide Harry with memories.

"That sounds great!" James nodded. "You've already proved you're brave and kind by protecting strangers. I don't care if you're in Slytherin. My Mum was a Slytherin and she's the best person I know."

She grinned at them and sat to talk for a while longer before heading back to her brother and Lily to change into her robes. She had a good feeling about being sorted.

Xx

"Snape, Adelaide!"

Her gut twisted with nerves as she stood. Everyone else except for her and Severus had been sorted into Gryffindor. Still, she knew she didn't _have _to go there.

She sat on the stool and felt the hat settle on her head.

"_Ahh, nice seeing you again, Miss Granger."_

"_This is the first time we're meeting. For you, at least."_

"_I work from your memories. What you know, I know. I can also look through time to an extent. I knew you'd come here."_

"_So do you still think I belong in Gryffindor?"_

"_No," he laughed at her. "Of course not. It'll have to be… _Slytherin!"

Her eyes opened wide in surprise and she glanced back at Severus, who was smiling at her with relief. She managed a smile back as McGonagall shooed her toward the Slytherin table, where she sat between a girl named Marlene McKinnon and an empty seat, which was quickly taken by Severus as he rushed over after being placed in Slytherin with her. He grinned at her happily, and she smiled back. She knew this was the house he'd always wanted to go to. Still, she was surprised and more than a little unsettled.

The feast went by quickly and they made their way to the dorms afterwards. They were in the dungeons next to the Potions classroom and the windows looked out on the Black Lake where fish and other creatures of the lake swam by. It seemed the castle was disillusioned because the sea creatures never noticed the students at all.

The next day, to her surprise, the students were encouraged to eat breakfast with friends instead of houses. She made her way over to Lily with Severus and sat down between Lily and James.

"Good morning!" She grinned after drinking her cup of tea. She was never very coherent before the tea, and most people in the future knew that. Here, however, they'd been trying to talk to her. All but Severus and Lily, who tried to explain, though they found the mission futile as James and Sirius continued to try and get her attention for the full seven minutes it took her to drink the tea.

"Merlin, did you even hear us?" Sirius wondered, staring with wide eyes. "We've been talking to you since you sat down!"

She blinked in surprise. "No, I didn't. I'm not very awake until I've had my tea."

"She's not a morning person," Severus drawled.

"Yeah, she once didn't talk for an entire day because we were out of tea," Lily nodded along. James tilted his head.

"You guys know each other?"

Adelaide nodded. "She lives in our neighborhood. We're good friends."

"That's cool," James nodded. "Sirius and I are cousins!"

Addy's eyes widened. "Really?" She'd known, of course, that Harry and Sirius were cousins, though Sirius had been removed from the family tree and Harry's grandmother had very nearly been disowned - nearly, but not quite.

"Yeah!" James said excitedly. "My mum is a Black! She's Sirius's aunt, I think."

"Wish she was my mum," Sirius complained. "You met Walburga."

James winced. "I did. She's horrible, mate."

"Poor Reggie is stuck with her _alone_ for a year."

_Reggie_… Addy let the name trickle through her mind before it snapped into place. _Regulus Arcturus Black. _

"Your brother is coming to school next year, though, isn't he?" Remus asked as he took a bite of his sausage. Sirius nodded sadly.

"Yeah, but who knows what she can do to brainwash him in the meantime."

Xx

Their classes were interesting, if incredibly boring for Adelaide. She'd already taken them years ago, and she knew them like the back of her hand. Like the back of _Harry's_ hand. Still, she could do the homework so much easier and quicker and honestly didn't care about her grades. so she didn't put too much energy into it.

Eventually, she settled into a schedule.

One that consisted of waiting for Severus and the Marauders to begin hating each other.

Because as of then, they were _friends_. Severus, Lily, Addy, and the Marauders were all friends.

Well. All except for Adelaide and Peter. And _that_ was apparently becoming noticeable as Sirius pulled her aside.

"Addy… is there a _reason _you don't like Pete?"

She stiffened, pulling her cloak tighter around herself. "Excuse me?"

"Well, it's obvious. You don't treat him the same as the rest of us. Did he do something to you? Did he hurt you?"

"I- no. He didn't. I'm just… he gives me a bad feeling. I don't trust him. I don't like him."

"Is it the way he looks?"

"Sirius!" She gasped. "Stop it. I am not that shallow. I just don't trust him. It's a feeling I have. I'm not being mean or cruel. I'm just not being overly nice either."

Sirius sighed. "Just… please don't let this get out of hand."

"Yeah."

"Thanks," he smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as they walked back to the castle together.

Xx

The days went by quickly and Adelaide was in a routine of finishing her homework and then spending time with her friends. She was surprised to find Sirius and James were kind, though Sirius was unpredictable and got bored easily. Remus was kind as well and she could tell he noticed she was injured somehow - her scar from Bellatrix was estimated to take another six months to close - and often hovered over her to ensure she was okay.

Things were great. For her.

It was a full month before Sirius got a letter from Walburga, and when he did, it was a Howler.

"Sirius Orion Black! How dare you betray your family! You are a disgrace!"

Sirius paled horribly as Adelaide rushed over with her wand out.

"If you don't get your act together, Regulus will take over as heir! You are a horrible child! I never should have trusted you to go to Hogwarts!"

Adelaide pointed her wand at the Howler and lit it on fire, her face bright with anger and her hair sparking. The Howler cut off and burnt to ashes, falling to the table in front of Sirius. The boy himself stood and rushed from the room. James and Remus both moved to follow him, but Adelaide put a hand out to stop them and ran after her friend.

She caught up with him as he waited for the staircase to shift back to him and placed a hand on his arm. He twisted around and ran into her arms, shoving his face into the crook of her neck. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close.

They stayed like that for a long time before he pulled away and she dragged him to the side into a classroom nearby and sat on a desk, looking at him. "She's vile. You're brave just for defying her and joining Gryffindor."

"I shouldn't have," he sighed sadly. "It wouldn't be so bad in Slytherin with you and Severus."

Adelaide hid her shock at the clear admission of friendship from Sirius. She'd always assumed they'd always hated each other, but apparently she'd been wrong. "Sure, but you've got James and Remus and… Peter in Gryffindor. You're happy there. Your mother can go to hell. You've got us now. A better family."

Sirius bit his lip, staring at her. "Next year, Regulus will be coming to school."

"Yeah, you told us."

"Yeah. And I know my mother. She won't want me near him. Can you… I don't know. Stick with him? Take care of him?"

Adelaide smiled softly. "Of course, Sirius."

Xx

Severus rested his head on her lap, staring up at her. Her eyes were closed and her face was tense. She'd been quiet for a long time, and hadn't said much at all for the past couple of days. He was getting worried. His mother had told him and Lily not to pry under any circumstances, but… he disagreed.

"Addy?"

She blinked her eyes open, looking startled. "Huh?"

"Is everything okay?"

The surprise showed clearly on her face. She never could hide her feelings around him. Everyone else, sure. Him, never. "Yeah, of course."

"Adelaide."

She glanced down at him. "It's just… a lot on my mind."

"Mum said not to ask, but…"

She frowned, considering his question fully. After what felt like an eternity, she spoke. "I came from… a long ways away. I miss my family. And I went through a lot before I got here. It's harder being at Hogwarts."

"Tell me."

"There might be a day when you can't know this," she sighed. She looked a sort of tired that he'd only seen in their mother before when the woman faced down their father. "And your memory may need to be altered. Are you sure you want to know?"

"Does anyone else know?"

She shrugged. "Aberforth does."

He snorted. "He's not the talkative type, Adelaide."

She bowed her head in agreement. "You're sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. Maybe we're not twins, maybe I haven't known you for eleven years, but I _feel_ close to you. That should count for something."

"I'm from the future."

He stared at her.

"I'm serious. I'm from 1998."

"And… your proof?"

Her nose scrunched up but she raised her wand. "I, Hermione Jean Granger, do swear on my wand that I am from 1998." Nothing happened. "Um…"

"Mum _adopted _you. If that was your name before, it isn't anymore," he explained cautiously. Her eyes widened in realization and she repeated the vow again with her new name. This time, the tip of her wand lit up a brilliant gold to match her eyes, signaling the truth being told. "You're really from the future."

"I am," she sighed. "I was at my friend Harry's eighteenth birthday party when there was an accident with a time turner being broken into my chest, which is why my eyes are the way they are, and-,"

"Your friend was eighteen. Does that mean…?"

She blinked. "Oh. Yeah… I'm nineteen. Kind of. I was de-aged, and now I'm kinda mentally eleven again, too. So I've lived for nineteen years but I'm technically eleven."

"Merlin," Severus breathed. "But what have you gone through that's so… bad?"

Her eyes darkened in a horrible way. "War."

His mouth opened before closing again. She was nineteen and she'd been through war? He may be young but he even knew that was wrong. "And the- the scar-,"

She broke the gaze and let her eyes drift away from him, staring at the trees nearby. "Bellatrix Lestrange. She spent… hours on me before Easter of 1998. She thought I'd stolen something… something valuable."

"She's a terrorist," he gasped. She blinked in surprise, looking down at him.

"Terrorist?"

He nodded. "She attacks half-bloods and muggleborns and muggles alike because they're not purebloods."

"Does she have a leader?"

He shook his head. She fell silent, looking troubled as his own mind drifted from the war to something else. "If you're from the future, do you know me?"

Her lips twitched upward. "Yes, I do."

"Who am I?"

"You were my potions professor," she laughed. "For five years, and then you became our DADA professor. After that, the war went into full swing and me and my friends were the top three targets. We had to leave school, go on the run."

"Why were you…?"

"My friend Harry…" she shook her head. "I don't think this is something I can tell you. You're a part of the future and it might change if you know."

"But if I know, maybe I can prevent-,"

"No!" She interrupted, wide eyed. He cut off in surprise to stare at her. "I'm sorry. I just meant… that's not how time works. It _has_ to happen the way it happened."

"I don't understand."

"Sev, please trust me," she begged. "It just has to happen. It's too dangerous."

He sighed and closed his eyes again. "I don't understand. You said you're eleven but you're also nineteen?"

He felt her shrug. "It has to do with the potion he gave me. It sorta… took back my body, my _core_ through the years until I got to eleven. So I've got all my memories of my nineteen year old self and I'm a little more mature but I'm also the same as you. Impulsive and childish and _young_. I _am_ eleven. My mind is nineteen."

"How are you… what is that like?"

"I hadn't really given it much thought, honestly," she admitted. "I've been thinking about my friends, my family. The people that followed me into the room when I got sent back here… I think they _knew_."

Severus blinked his eyes open. "Was it your family?"

She considered him for a long moment. "It was Sirius, Remus, and you."

"Us?" He asked in disbelief. "Why do you think we knew?"

"Sirius is a horrible liar," she laughed. "And he was staring at me and acting weird around me. Not just that night but for weeks beforehand. I think you guys knew."

"Are you upset about that?"

"I know how time travel works," she said. "No. I'm not. You couldn't have said anything to me. Even if you could've, I doubt you would have."

"So… what are you gonna do? Obviously you plan on staying here, but for how long?"

"I don't really know," she admitted softly. The sadness in her voice hit his heart. "Until Aberforth finds a way to send me back. He thinks it'll be years."

"Until then, I'll help you however I can," he vowed. He'd always felt older than everyone his age, mostly because of the abuse he'd endured, and he appreciated that fact now. "I'll do whatever I can."

"I know, Sev," she leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of his head. "Thanks."

"You're my sister," he muttered, relaxing into her lap again. "Even if technically, I'm a lot older than you."

She snorted laughter but didn't reply.

Xx

"Are you fucking insane?" Sirius screamed. Adelaide took a step back immediately, stiffening. Her instincts from the war hadn't left her, and she was on edge already, waiting for the attack. "My mother?"

"Calm down, Black," Severus interrupted, stepping between them. Remus slipped his hand into hers and she shot him a thankful smile. Everyone knew there was _something_ wrong with her and Remus especially had done his best to help her.

"She's been writing to my mother for months!" Sirius shot back. Severus turned and raised an eyebrow, and she just shook her head and motioned for him to move. Once he had, she gave Sirius a small smile.

"I've been writing to her for a _reason_. I'm not looking to be friends with her. I want to stay with you over Christmas."

"_What_?" Sirius said at the same time as Severus. The two shared a look before both turning on Adelaide to stare at her, though it was Severus that spoke this time. "Have you asked Mother about this?"

"I have," she nodded shortly. "She agrees it would be a great idea."

"You haven't _met_ my mother! She's despicable!"

"Yes, she is," Addy nodded. "I've been writing with her for months. Agreeing with everything she says and telling her how I'm going to 'straighten you out.' She loves me for it. She invited me herself. Which reminds me… why were you going through my things? I kept those letters buried."

Sirius blushed deeply. "Peter dared me!"

Adelaide's golden eyes flashed. "And you are your own person! If you ever touch my things without permission again, Sirius Black, I will hex your fingers off!"

He paled dramatically. "Okay. No touching."

Adelaide smiled at him, her mind wandering back to Christmas. "You can introduce me to Regulus this way. I'm glad I can meet him before school."

"He hates me already," Sirius sighed sadly.

"I doubt that's true," she waved him off. "Your mother is a terrifying person. She probably threatened him. I'm sure he still loves you."

"Sure," he replied, disbelieving.

Xx

"I don't understand," Adelaide frowned as Slughorn led her through the school to Dumbledore's office.

"I've just been asked to retrieve you," he repeated as he knocked on the door. "I know as much as you, Miss Snape."

She frowned, annoyed, as he left her there to wait for Dumbledore. Once Slughorn had left the waiting room, the door closed behind him and the door to Dumbledore's office opened. She stepped inside and glanced around, freezing as her eyes fell on Aberforth Dumbledore.

"Huh. Not who I was expecting."

"I had no other way to get a meeting with you," he admitted. He looked tired, though he was well dressed in what she easily recognized as Wizengamot robes. "I need to know more."

"More? I told you everything I know."

"More about the future," he clarified tiredly. "Is there anything that might put you in danger?"

She bit her lip. "Yes."

"I need to know."

She moved over to the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk and sat with a large sigh. "There were two wars. One in a few years from now and one again in 1994… sort of. It really began in 1996."

"And?"

"And," she frowned. "I was a large part of the fight. I was hunted and on the run for a year. The man, Voldemort, that led the bigoted terrorists knew my name. Knew me. Wanted to kill me. I know all of his secrets and how to kill him… which is much harder than you'd expect."

"And that puts you in danger here?"

"Potentially."

He took in a deep breath. "We will be setting up a few support systems for you. Some adults will approach you and speak with you. You must tell them the truth. You must trust them. They will help you in the worst case scenario."

"Like who?"

"I'm unsure. Sarah Snape and myself, obviously, as we already know where you're from. I can inform her of the war."

"I don't like this idea," she admitted.

"It is better than leaving you unprotected."

"Still don't like it."

Xx

Sirius, James, Remus, Peter, Severus, Lily, Marlene, and Adelaide all sat at the shore of the frozen Black Lake in a circle with a large bubble of warming charms surrounding them and a bunch of snacks in the middle. It was the last day before they left, and Adelaide, Lily, and surprisingly, James, had ensured that everyone had been packed already.

"Truth or dare, Marlene?"

The Slytherin girl frowned at Sirius darkly. "Truth."

"Do you like me?"

"I think you're a prat."

Sirius's lips twitched. "Yeah, but do you like me?"

"Yes."

"Yes!"

"Anyways," James cut in, nudging Sirius with his elbow. "Lily, how long have you known Adelaide for?"

The redhead looked over, obviously distracted. Adelaide saw it coming before the girl answered, and her heart dropped to her stomach. "Since July."

Silence fell over the group.

"Haven't you known Severus since you were little?" Remus questioned with a suspicious frown.

Lily looked to Adelaide, panic in her eyes. "I- um…"

"It's okay, Lils," the girl sighed. "Just remind me not to tell you my other huge secrets, yeah?"

Lily nodded quickly.

"I don't understand," James told them, blinking. "It was just a slip of the tongue. I meant to say both of you. Why wouldn't she know both of you?"

"Because we're not twins," Severus said. "She was adopted in July."

"In.. _July_?" Marlene blinked at them. "But you're so close already."

"_We're _close," Adelaide argued. "I'm close with all of you. I love all of you. Severus just… I met Sev and Lily at a really hard, emotional time. So of course we're close. They were there when I really needed someone."

"If you're adopted, where did you come from? Why were you adopted at eleven?" Peter wondered. Adelaide glared at him but Sirius and James both nodded along.

She shared a look with Severus before glancing down at her arm. He followed her gaze and tensed up. "Addy, _no_."

"It's okay," she promised, smiling at him. "Besides, I'm in the same dorm as Marly. She'll see it sometime."

"No!" He argued, placing his hand on the arm. She winced in pain as he hit the unhealed injury, and he pulled back immediately, crawling away from her just a little bit.

When he no longer held her arm, she glanced at her friends. "My friends and I were attacked by a terrorist. She… um, she tortured me for a while, and she gave me _this_," she pulled up her sleeve, revealing the scar. She ignored the gasps of horror from Lily, and Marlene and the one of disgust from Peter. "After that, it wasn't really safe to go home. Some stuff happened that I can't talk about, and Aberforth Dumbledore asked Severus's mum to adopt me."

"You were _tortured_?" Sirius whispered. He reached out for her arm, ghosting his fingers above the already healed part of the injury. "Do you know… who?"

The name very nearly slipped from her lips before it hit her. _Bellatrix was Sirius's cousin_. She coughed a little. "I do, but on our way out, someone Obliviated her so she wouldn't come after me. She doesn't remember hurting me."

"Who was it?" He asked, staring her down. She shifted uncomfortably and pulled her arm back, covering it up again with her sleeve.

"No one important. I'm safe now, that's all that matters," she told him, looking away. "I'm safe now."

Xx

"This isn't a good idea," Sirius hissed in her ear as they moved through the train towards the doors. "You can still get out of this. Find Sev. I'll just tell her you got sick."

"No!" She snapped, pinching his arm. "I told you, I'll be fine."

He continued grumbling about it the entire way off the train and in her ear until the very second his mother and brother found them. When the tall, overly thin woman approached them, Adelaide straightened up and offered a polite smile.

"Mrs. Black! How lovely to finally meet you. Sirius has been telling me lovely things," she gave a small curtsey and bowed her head as Draco had told her to do so long ago. Their friendship had been odd and secret but a long one, and one that they had always appreciated. Both were lonely quite often and both could count on the other to relieve that pain.

"I doubt that," Walburga replied, glaring at her son. Before she could panic, the woman's glare turned to a smile as she looked down at Adelaide. "But I do so appreciate it. And you haven't met Regulus, have you, dear?"

"No, ma'am, but you've told me quite a bit about him," she smiled down at the ten year old boy who frowned darkly at her. She just smiled back.

"Regulus, this is Adelaide Snape, Sirius's friend. How he made a friend like this, I'll never know, but I'm eternally grateful."

Regulus bowed his head. "Wonderful to meet you, Adelaide."

"And you," she smiled back.

"Oh, we should be getting back. We've got dinner and then Orion and I have a meeting with Lord Black. Tomorrow, we shall talk."

"Yes, ma'am," Adelaide smiled happily. She'd become wonderful at faking smiles years before when the war began again and she had to tell her parents everything was fine.

She followed the woman through the station and to a floo area, preparing herself for the dinner ahead of her.

Xx

Truthfully, it hadn't been that bad. Every once in a while, Walburga would snap at Sirius for betraying them or make a snide remark about how it was a shame Adelaide was born a half blood. Each time, Orion would take a drink of his hyper vodka - a drink Sirius said he bought off a shady man in Knockturn Alley once every six months. After only the dinner, Adelaide was left wondering if the entire family was evil or if it was just Walburga. She had a feeling it was just Walburga.

Like the woman had said, after dinner, she and Orion left for a meeting with the family patriarch, leaving them with instructions to talk. The unsaid instructions to get Sirius to do a political 180 were there and firmly ignored by both Adelaide and Regulus, who relaxed completely once their mother was gone. The three were in Sirius's green painted bedroom, sitting and lying on the bed together.

"Sirius, did you really make friends with a bigoted Slytherin?" Regulus whispered to his brother.

"No," Sirius laughed. "She's just pretending so she can stay with us and make Mother less horrible."

Regulus looked at Adelaide, who was pulling her hair out of the hair ties and letting it fall down her back. He glanced back at Sirius. "How did you meet?"

"He and our friends were cornered by some fifth years," Adelaide told him. She'd been listening and now turned to look at them. "I knew _Protego _so I kept them safe."

"But aren't you in the same year as them?" Regulus asked curiously. Addy nodded.

"Yeah, but I know a lot of spells I shouldn't know."

Sirius looked at his brother and changed topics. "Reg, you haven't written to me at all."

"It's mum," the younger boy replied with a frustrated frown. "She refuses to let me write you. She's so mad."

"Send letters to me," Adelaide suggested. "And I'll pass them to Sirius." Both boys looked at her in surprise. She just shrugged. "It won't do for her to tear you apart, and she likes me fine. Unless you guys _want_ her to refuse you contact?"

Sirius threw himself into her arms and hugged her tight. "Thank you, Addy. Really. Thank you."

"It's nothing," she promised, wrapping her arms around him. "I talked to my mum and she agreed to let me stay here for Easter, too."

"Mum will love that," Sirius snorted.

Adelaide pulled away to give him a stern look. "You need to appear to change. Even a _little_. You don't have to change at school - your friends are mostly purebloods and halfbloods, but at home, you have to act like you agree with her or this won't work. She'll think I have no use in your life."

"Yes, mum," Sirius snarked, though he looked like he truly meant it. She smiled at him before smiling at Regulus, who gave her an odd look back.

"Why do you wanna help us so much?"

She wondered at how similar he was to the young Draco she'd befriended. Untrusting, scared, hopeful. "Because Sirius is my friend and because it's the right thing to do."

Xx

Adelaide was sitting in the Black family library alone the day after Christmas. She'd been owled her gifts from her family and had opened them with Sirius and Regulus as they opened their gifts. She'd been shocked to receive a curious locket from Aberforth that she hadn't been able to open yet. It was a beautiful golden oval shaped locket with a time turner drawn on the front. Sirius had put it on for her and she hadn't taken it off.

She was distracted from the book about soul magic in her lap when the large, wooden door opened with a creak. She looked up in surprise to find Orion Black closing the door behind him. She stood quickly, tucking the book into her bag and rushed around the couch. "Sorry, I'll head back to my room if you-,"

"No, no," he interrupted. "I came to speak with you."

Adelaide paused. "You did?"

"I did," he confirmed. "Sit, please."

She did as he asked and placed herself back in the large, overstuffed chair she'd been in before. He paced around the furniture and settled on a couch across from her. He sat up straight with his hands in his lap and her nerves picked up. "Sir, can I ask what this is about?"

"You're close with Sirius," he commented.

"I am," she agreed. "He's one of my best friends."

"Then you are lying to my wife and I," he returned. She very carefully kept her face blank and waited for him to continue. To argue immediately would be to confirm his suspicions. "You are a good friend to him."

"I treasure his friendship."

"I hope you'll do the same for Regulus," he commented. "Regardless, my father and I will return the favor for you."

She paused. "For me?"

"Aberforth approached me."

"Oh."

It made sense. He'd told her he'd be sending people to speak with her. She just had never considered it would be Sirius's father, no matter how miserable the man seemed.

"He tells me you know… much more than any normal eleven year old girl."

"I'm nineteen," she admitted. "And from the future."

"Yes, I seem to remember him mentioning something like that as well."

She scowled. "Well, what all did he say?"

"Just those things. The rest, he said, will come from you."

"Lazy bastard," she muttered before sighing. "I'm from 1998. There was a war here that really began in 1979 and ended in 1981. It began again in 1994… sort of. The man, Voldemort, came back in '94. It really started up in '96 and ended in '98. I know how to end the war, I know how to permanently kill the man, and I know a lot about his followers, his techniques, his spies… everything."

"That is why you are in danger," he muttered. She could hear the horror in his voice and merely nodded. "I am an Unspeakable like my brother, Alphard. We cannot change time. We cannot prevent these wars. And they are led by the same man?"

"They are. His real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle."

Orion paled. "Tom. He disappeared."

She nodded quickly. "He reinvented himself as Lord Voldemort, this supreme pureblood. He leads through bigotry, hatred, and fear but also promises for a better world. It's all lies. He'll kill anyone regardless of their blood. He hates everyone. He loves none."

"He sounds like an awful dictator."

She shrugged. He was right.

"Can I ask… my family? In the future?"

She paused. "No. I don't think that's a good idea."

Orion bowed his head, dropping the subject. "Do you know the Patronus charm?"

"I do."

"We can use that to communicate in emergencies."

She hesitated. "I think I have a better idea."

"Oh?"

"Well, in my fifth year, there was this horrible woman teaching us. She took over the school and refused to really teach us anything. So, my friends and I made a club where we taught everyone else what we knew. It didn't feel like enough, but it was something, and we were surprised by how much people didn't know. But she banned that and we had to do it in private - and we had to have a way to communicate. So, I charmed some fake galleons with a Protean charm. We can send messages through them and they heat up when there's danger."

Orion was suitably impressed. She gave him a bright smile and _accio_'d her beaded bag - which she'd had on her when she was sent back - and dug around in it. She found a few loose galleons and pulled them out, charming them quickly and handing them over.

"Mine won't warm up, which is why I keep it in my bag, but it does send a message to my wand which lights the tip of it when I need to check it. I suggest you keep yours on a string and keep it around your neck in case I'm in danger."

He nodded firmly and stood. "I will do just that. Make sure you continue lying to my wife… though I'd ask you not to lie to Regulus. He needs a good influence in his life."

She smiled. "I wasn't planning on it. Sirius is a good influence, but his temper is… startling."

Orion rolled his eyes and decided not to reply as he made his way quietly from the large room.

Xx

Christmas vacation was fine, and Adelaide especially enjoyed getting to know Regulus. He was a young boy, certainly, but at times he seemed years beyond his age. She'd enjoyed debating with him on magical theory and cures to the dark curses they both knew.

The trip back to Hogwarts was long and filled with hours of catching up with friends. Adelaide spent some time with the Marauders and Marlene and Lily but after awhile, she and Severus split off to have some time alone and catch up.

"You're alive," he noted as she lowered her head into his lap. She chuckled and closed her eyes. "How many times did they try to kill you?"

"I can honestly say that no one in that family hates me," she told him. "Walburga believed my lies. Orion did not. Regulus is, for some reason, fascinated with me. I promised him I'd help him and Sirius get letters to each other…. Orion promised to help me if I'm in trouble. Him and his father."

Severus looked shocked. "The Black patriarch? Really?"

Addy nodded. "Yep."

"That's good though."

She sighed. "It is, especially because of Bellatrix."

"She's subject to the will of the Black family," Severus realized. "The Black's have primacy."

Adelaide nodded. "Over just about anyone. The Lestrange family, the Malfoy family. The only family they _don't _hold primacy over, as far as I'm aware, is the Potter family."

"Yes, the Potters are basically their equals on the opposite political end. The only time they've even interacted is when Dorea Black married Charlus Potter."

"James's parents."

"Yes."

Adelaide sighed. "How was Christmas with Sarah?"

Severus rolled his eyes. "Mother wasn't the issue."

Xx

Adelaide sat in the empty potions classroom with her wand hovering carefully over the cauldron in front of her. She had to stir it exactly 4.25 times and the potion would be done. Any more than that and the potion would kill.

She took a sharp breath and moved her wrist slowly, carefully moving the liquid inside the black cauldron. When she was finished, she gently pulled her arm back and dropped the spell, placing her wand back in the holster.

The potion looked right. It smelled right. She'd done everything right.

But she had to check.

It wouldn't hurt humans. It would have no more effects than a wide eye potion would. And besides, it didn't matter as much if _she_ died. Remus, however…

Carefully, she spooned up some of the green liquid and pulled it to her mouth. With no hesitance, she poured the liquid in. She had to choke it down in order not to spit it out.

And then she felt her mind sharpen.

With an ecstatic grin, she poured the potion into several phials and ran from the room. If she wanted it to work, it had to begin _tonight_.

She reached the mostly empty Quidditch pitch and glanced around, bouncing on her heels until she found Remus sitting alone in the stands watching his friends play. First years weren't allowed to be on teams, but they often were allowed to just play if they had supervision. Supervision today came in the form of their bored Head Boy, Fabian Prewett and his prefect twin brother, Gideon Prewett. The Marauders had befriended them immediately, and there had been some late night meetings to teach the young boys the ways of pranking that sent Adelaide's blood pressure up.

"Remus!" She called, rushing over. He glanced up and smiled tiredly at her as she reached him. "I'm so glad I found you."

"You okay?" He asked, frowning at her. "You look exhausted."

"I was up all night and all day finishing this potion," she admitted. She hesitated. He didn't know she knew he was a werewolf. Still, she figured he had to know if she wanted him to take the potion. "Remus… You know I love you, yeah?"

He blushed softly but she watched him nod. "I do. I love you too."

"I know you're a werewolf."

Suddenly the young, carefree boy clearly resembled the older version who was always nervous and who had been abused by the world all his life. She forced her smile to stay firmly on her lips as he processed her words slowly.

"You… I'm sorry."

"Shut up," she rolled her eyes. "I'm worried about you!"

"You're _worried_?" He gaped at her. "I'm a- I'm a werewolf!"

She shrugged. "Okay, and I know a bunch of dark spells that could hurt you. I'm not afraid of you. Are you afraid of me?"

He hesitated. "No."

"Good," she beamed at him. "So, I've got this potion for you that I _promise_ will help you when you transform. I didn't invent it and I can't tell you who did but I _can_ brew it for you every month. It'll keep your human self in control when you're a wolf instead of your wolf self."

"That's not possible!"

"It tastes like utter shit and smells like it too, and you have to take it every night for a week leading up to the moon."

"Addy-,"

"Please."

He paused and stared at her, taking in the desperate, pained look in her eyes. "Why are you doing all of this?"

"Because I love you and I hate seeing you in so much pain."

He nodded slowly. "I'll take it."

Xx

Adelaide had watched him take the potion each day and felt a sense of pride mixed deeply with relief each time. She knew she couldn't do this for him his entire life, but it was _something_.

The night of the full moon, she waited until nearly two in the morning before she disillusioned herself and slipped from the castle and made her way to the Shrieking Shack. Once she was there, she pushed herself into an empty room and closed her eyes.

And then she shifted.

Once she was done, she was a fennec fox. She hadn't shown anyone her animagus form before. No one except for Draco, who had shown her how to find her form. They'd gone through the animagus training together, and she secretly thought he'd be a wonderful teacher if everyone could forget the whole… Death Eater thing.

She ran through the house until she found the room Remus was resting in. Her eyes fell on the small, docile wolf and she made a noise of despair. She'd only seen the angry adult wolf, and it was heartbreaking to see him as a kid like that.

He stood and moved over to her, sniffing at her. He shoved her head to the side and she moved it willingly, baring her neck for him. He moved closer and placed his open mouth on her neck, showing dominance. She accepted it willingly and did her best not to jump at the string inside of her that appeared when Moony pulled away and moved back to his corner.

He'd accepted her. She was pack.

Xx

The rest of the year was extremely boring for Adelaide. She was on edge the entire time, waiting for the big thing to come and attack them but it never came. They went through the year having fun and doing their schoolwork and worrying about exams.

The trip back to King's Cross was much shorter than it should've been, and before long, Adelaide, Severus, and Lily were hugging Sarah Snape as she attempted to usher them out of the chaotic station.

The group was Apparated back home and Lily rushed to her house, yelling a quick goodbye along with a promise to come back the next day.

As soon as the three were left alone, Adelaide relaxed back into the couch with her brother and mother sitting close by.

"How was school, dear?" Sarah asked her, taking in her exhausted appearance.

"It's nice to be somewhere where everyone knows the truth about me," she admitted. "And it was ridiculously tiring to go through my first year again."

"You know you didn't… _have_ to do your schoolwork?" Sarah frowned. Adelaide felt her mouth open in shock. "You're not enrolled there. Aberforth just told Albus you were a child in danger because you weren't on the magical registry."

"I spent hours on it! It was easy but I still had to do it!" She complained. She was distracted by her wand lighting up and paused. "Huh."

"What's that?"

She ignored Severus in favor of digging through her bag for her stash of galleons. By the time she reached them, her wand had gone dark and therefore the galleon that the message came from no longer displayed the message. After a little bit of shuffling and some guessing, she pulled out the galleon she assumed had lit up - it seemed warm. Even if it was the wrong one, she figured she'd only get a message to Orion or Aberforth since they were the only ones in that time that had a charmed galleon.

She pulled it to her and pulled out her wand, pointing it at her head and thinking the message. "_At home. Come visit_."

She charmed the message into the galleon and watched it light up briefly before going dark again. The galleon was slipped into her pocket before she turned back to her adopted brother and his question. "It's a way for me to communicate with Orion and Aberforth in emergencies. I'm not sure who- _what the fuck_?"

A bright light flashed in the middle of the room, blinding them for a second. It was over quickly but a year of war had her on her feet in front of Severus with her wand out.

She blinked away the light, an automatic shield up to protect them as her eyes returned to normal and she caught sight of what had happened.

"_Draco_? What the hell?"


	3. Chapter 2

**June 10th, 1972**

**Snape Home**

Adelaide stood with her wand out, holding a shield in front of her and her adoptive brother. Severus was held back by Sarah Snape, who had moved behind the shield as well to ensure that the boy, who was the least experienced in the room, didn't get hurt.

"What the fuck?"

"No, what the fuck?" Adelaide snapped, waving her wand nervously. "Where the hell did you come from?"

Draco Malfoy let out a laugh, his eyes lighting up evilly. "You're twelve!"

Adelaide narrowed her eyes. "Draco-,"

"You're a fucking kid again! What the hell happened?"

"I'll punch you again, I swear to god," she promised, her eyes flashing. Draco paused. He put his own wand away and held his hands up, to which Adelaide dropped her shield. "How did you get here?"

"Is 'here' 1992?" It was a logical question, considering her age.

"No," she sighed. "We're in 1972, Draco."

"Holy shit," he muttered, surprised. "And you're a kid. Any particular reason?"

"Aberforth de-aged me and sent me to school to keep me safe," she replied. Without looking back, she raised her voice. "Sarah, can you get him out of the room? I don't think it's a good idea he be here right now. I'll be safe."

Severus didn't argue as he was pulled away from her, leaving Adelaide and Draco alone. They'd been friends for years but had never touched much and yet in that moment, she found herself almost jumping into his arms. He stood there in shock, his arms at his side for a long moment before he awkwardly held her small frame.

"Granger, what the hell happened?"

"It was an accident. I came here by accident but I've been here for a full year," she told him as she backed up. "Aberforth is trying to figure out how to get me back. He can reverse the age potion when he does."

"Who was that kid?"

She smiled slightly. "That was our dear Professor Snape."

"You're fucking kidding me."

"Nope," she shook her head. "I was placed with him. Officially, I'm his sister."

"You've got the right hair."

"How'd you recognize me immediately?" She asked curiously. "I don't really look the same. And my eyes-,"

"The glowing orbs of terror? Yeah, they're a bit different. I recognized your face," he admitted.

"Oh."

"I don't know how _I _got here," he told her, ignoring her question. "I was at the party. I'd just seen Black and Lupin and Snape follow you up the stairs and then I got a message _from you _on the galleon and when I tried to reply and ask what you meant, it sent me here instead."

"Magic was probably trying to make it possible to send the message," she sighed. "I had no clue I'd grabbed the wrong one. I was trying to reply to Aberforth or Orion."

"Orion… Black?" Draco stared at her in wonder. "Why would he be talking to you?"

"Because…" she shook her head. "Not now. We need to figure out what to do with you."

"Me?"

"_You're _stuck here, too, idiot," she rolled her eyes. "We just need…"

"Adelaide," a cautious voice called. She turned on her heel to face a frowning Aberforth. "Who is this?"

"How did you get in here?" She stared. "Sarah took Sev-,"

"The door was unlocked," he defended. "I typically let myself in."

"Oh."

"Are you standing with a Malfoy?"

She bit her lip. She had only briefly met Lucius Malfoy in this time as he was in the same year as Fabian and Gideon and absolutely hated the first years in his House. Still, he had been cruel and she could only guess how his father was. "You don't understand-,"

"Did he call you _Adelaide_?" Draco snorted. "Merlin, you're in deep here."

"Shut up, Draco," she hissed. "Abe, he's my friend. There was an accident. I pulled out the wrong galleon and he got pulled back here, too."

Aberforth looked as exhausted as she felt. "I suppose we should get to work."

Xx

In the end, and with much pouting and arguing from Draco, they finally settled on a plan and executed it with very few issues.

Draco was renamed Leon Westley and de-aged to match Adelaide. He was given honey brown hair and sharp blue eyes, though nothing else was changed, much to his relief.

He wasn't placed with any family. Aberforth claimed he could arrive at school claiming to be an orphan and then simply go home with whomever he wished.

Once that mess was sorted, Aberforth pulled Adelaide to the side and erected a privacy bubble. "I originally came to let you know that Lord Greengrass will be approaching you sometime. Have a galleon ready for him."

Addy nodded in surprise. "Anything else?"

The man hesitated. "Voldemort has shown up. He's collecting followers at a horrible rate."

"I'm not surprised. Thanks for telling me."

Aberforth nodded absently and waved his wand to rid them of the bubble, walking back over to Leon. "You'll stay with the Snape's this summer. Adelaide can fill you in on whatever you need since she's been here for a year."

"Thanks for coming, Aberforth," Adelaide smiled. He nodded in return before walking out of the room. She heard the door close and collapsed into the chair behind her. "Fuck."

"So," Leon waved impatiently. "Fill me in."

She spent the better part of an hour telling him everything she could think of - who knew what and why and who she absolutely didn't want to know her secrets. The top two people being Peter, because he was a rat, and Lily, because she couldn't keep a secret for her life.

Once she was done, Leon shook his head at her. "And you really have no intention of changing the past?"

"No," she snapped. "It has to happen this way."

"But you're _here_. Doesn't that make you itch to change it all?"

"Of course it does!" She sighed, leaning back. "But I can't. We don't know what would happen. If I saved James, maybe Remus would die. If I saved Lily, perhaps it would be your mother."

He seemed to get the point. "Still, hasn't this been hard for you? You're so… calm."

She shrugged. "I don't know. I have this _feeling_ like there's a very important reason that I'm here. It got a lot stronger when I was at Grimmauld Place but I don't know what it is… and it's not like I'm losing years. I'm getting extra."

He nodded his agreement. "Perhaps it was someone there. Assumedly not Walburga."

Adelaide scowled. "I'd prefer to drop that terrible woman in a volcano than spend another minute with her."

"So Orion? Or maybe it's Sirius because he's young?"

She shrugged again. "I don't know but I'm sure I'll find out eventually."

Xx

Settling in was harder for Leon as he was unused to living as a twelve year old and not being waited on hand and foot. Still, Adelaide helped him and eventually he understood how to do things, but especially _when_ to do things - the two week trash disaster was not something he wanted to repeat.

Meeting Lily had been hilarious. He'd looked between Adelaide and Lily before walking away to his room and not coming out again. When asked about it, he only said that they were the same.

Their summer was Lucas free and fun. Adelaide found out, through Leon's appearance, that she did not have the trace on her, which meant that Leon didn't either. It was much more relaxing to know she could easily do magic when she needed to instead of worrying about being arrested.

The four "children" had fun in the pool and reading and doing their schoolwork. It was incredibly relaxing to Adelaide to find that everyone around her was extremely studious and therefore didn't mind doing their summer homework. Of course, Adelaide and Leon didn't have to do it, but it was something to do to fight the boredom.

Adelaide was surprised to find that not only Sirius was writing her, but so was Walburga and Regulus. She didn't mind writing to Regulus. He was interesting and she considered him a friend. Walburga, however, was draining to reply too, though she knew she had to if she wanted to reply to her friends as well.

Orion hadn't contacted her since their first meeting, which was just as well if they wanted that support to remain secret. Still, she worried. She didn't know him or his father well and Sirius had never really told her anything about them.

By the time summer officially ended, she was completely bored and restless. At King's Cross, she hugged Sarah and bolted onto the train, nearly bouncing as she ran with Leon behind her to find her friends.

The Marauders were all the way at the back of the train, and she breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw they'd saved two seats as she requested, which, she assumed, had sent Marlene to sit with her other friends. She couldn't bring herself to feel bad as she flung herself into Sirius's arms. He laughed and hugged her back before pulling away.

"Sirius! God, your mother is just horrible. Did you know she's been writing me all summer? Vile things every other sentence about my family, and-,"

"Addy," he interrupted. She paused to look at him before following his gaze.

"Oh," she felt her smile soften. "Regulus."

"Hello," he greeted with a laugh.

To his surprise, she flew forward and hugged him as well, squeezing him tight before letting go. "It's so nice to see you! You didn't reply to my last letter, I was concerned you were upset with me."

He shook his head as she pulled back and wedged herself between him and Sirius to sit next to him. "No, nothing like that. I didn't want to reply until I had the book you were asking about. I only got it yesterday and at that point it seemed pointless to reply."

Adelaide's mouth dropped open. "That book- Merlin, Reg, there's only twenty copies in the world!"

"I know," he shrugged. "My dad told me to find it and he'd get it."

She shook her head, amazed. "That's… incredible."

"Adelaide." Her attention was stolen by James, who was openly laughing at her. "Your friend?"

"Oh," she blushed, looking back to an irate Leon. "Right. This is Leon Westley. He stayed with us over summer."

"Does he know…?" Remus asked, glancing at her friend. She shifted uncomfortably.

"Uh, _he_ does but Regulus-,"

"Um."

Adelaide turned to give Sirius a hard glare. "Yes?"

"I might've… sort of told him?"

She leaned her head back against the wall of the compartment. "Sure, let's tell everyone… what did you say?"

"That you're adopted and it's a secret," he assured her. She shook her head. Regulus was uncomfortable beside her but she ignored it in favor of smiling at Remus.

"Yes, Leon knows."

"Has he seen your..?" James whispered in her ear. Loudly. While pointing at her arm.

"Oh my god. You guys are the worst secret keepers ever." She spared a glance at Leon to see him pale. His fists were clenched as he stared down at her covered forearm. She stood quietly and guided him from the compartment, leaving the boys alone.

Regulus was the first to speak. "What's wrong with her arm?"

The friends all exchanged a glance but Sirius replied quietly. "Someone hurt her. Bad. They left a… really nasty scar."

"I don't get why Leon reacted like that," James said after a long moment. "It's hard to look at, sure, but there's something more."

"No," Remus shook his head. "You weren't paying attention. He was staring at it before it was mentioned."

"Why?"

Remus frowned deeply. "I think… I wonder if he had something to do with it. If he was there or something."

"She did say it was her friends with her," Sirius pointed out. "Maybe she's known him longer than she said."

"Maybe."

Xx

"It's okay!" she promised as they slipped into an empty compartment. The train still had ten minutes before it left and even then, it was never completely full. "I'm okay."

"Fuck," he hissed. "I'm… sorry."

She paused, blinking furiously. "What? Why..? Why now?" She recognized the look on his face, the confusion and the pain. She knew her side, the light, wasn't the only ones that suffered from PTSD but she hadn't imagined Draco…

"I couldn't," he admitted quickly, glancing around them. "We went back in the other room, I was going to bind him but _he did it first_. I don't know how but he _knew_, he knew you're my friend and he stopped me."

"It's okay," she promised, placing her hands on his arms. "It's okay, I'm okay. It's been a year and a half for me. I'm okay."

He reached out and grabbed her arm hard, squeezing it. It startled her and she felt it begin to shake violently as it always did when something of the sort happened. She cursed under her breath as he let go and stared at her like that was proof of whatever he was trying to say.

"Only the best mediwitches can cure the long term effects of the Cruciatus," he snapped at her. "All you had was a fucking Weasley and a Veela! You're not healed, you deal with it!"

"It was war, asshole!" she growled back. "What the hell did you want me to do? Crawl into St. Mungo's and hope I wasn't arrested and taken back to your bloody house?" He winced and she paused to take a deep breath. "Draco. We both got stuck on opposite ends of the war. I _know_ you didn't want me to get hurt. I did, and that's okay. And I forgive you."

The pain in his eyes was overwhelming. She resisted the urge to hug him and rather kept her hands on his arms as he processed her words. They were in the bodies of children, but they were still war torn adults that needed healing. Eventually, she watched him take in a deep breath and nod once. Relieved, she dropped her arms to her side, though she was surprised when he spoke.

"Three times a week, we will meet in the Room of Hidden Things and I will do the necessary treatments to heal you."

"Draco-,"

"I was taught them when I was fairly young. I can do them."

She sighed in defeat. "Okay."

"Good," he nodded firmly and turned to leave, but she caught his arm.

"_Only_ if we start talking again, the same way as before. About everything."

He didn't even hesitate before he nodded. She released his arm and the pair made their way back to the compartment with her friends.

Xx

"You can't just… _stop_ going to classes," Severus argued hotly, following Adelaide across the grounds. "Don't you think our friends will be suspicious?"

She paused. "_Maybe_. I'll come up with something. I just… I need to work on this too, Sev. It wasn't such a big deal when it was just me but Draco…"

"_Leon."_

She rolled her eyes. "_Leon_ doesn't need to be here."

"You guys don't… seem like you fit together," he said uncomfortably. "Why are you friends?"

Adelaide glanced at some students nearby and pulled him under a small clump of trees. "He's a Malfoy. When we met, he was severely bigoted. One day in the middle of fourth year, we got locked in a classroom together. It was a ridiculous prank. I talked to him to prove his father was a liar and that I was just like him. He didn't have much of a choice but to listen, honestly. But by then, things were getting bad. He couldn't openly change his opinions. So we met up almost every day and talked about everything or sometimes nothing."

Severus paused. "Remus mentioned… your scar."

She looked at her hands as she replied. "When we were captured, it was Easter. We were taken to Malfoy Manor. He was there. He couldn't stop her and he heard me… he heard it all."

Severus nodded and dropped the subject, much to her relief. "You can't miss all of your classes. Some of them. I'll write up a schedule for you."

"Thanks, Sev," she smiled, pecking his cheek.

Xx

Adelaide rested back on the couch and laid her legs across Regulus's own legs. It was nearing midnight and most students were asleep already. They were the only ones left in the Slytherin common rooms, though Marlene was awake in their dorms.

"Addy?" He asked, startled.

She flashed him a smile. "You okay?"

"I'm working on my Occlumency," he answered. She tilted her head in response.

"I've always wanted to try but I can't even get the meditation down. My head is too chaotic," she admitted.

His eyes lit up. "I can help! I know Legilimency-,"

"No!" She interrupted immediately. He froze, confused, and she shook her head. "It's… there's some stuff…"

Regulus sighed. "There's things I wouldn't want anyone to know either, Addy. We can work on what you don't mind me seeing and then maybe someday, we can get to the things you don't wanna think about."

She hesitated. "Are you sure we can be so exact? My friend tried to learn and he had no control over what memories he went through."

Regulus frowned. "Who was teaching him? _You_ guide _me_. I follow you through and help you set up the walls to guard the memories. Everything else - the meditation - comes after to maintain those walls."

Adelaide frowned. Snape and Harry had hated each other completely by fifth year, and it occurred to her that _possibly_ he hadn't been trying to teach him at all.

And that only led to another plethora of theories that angered her.

"That sounds… wonderful, Reg," she smiled. "Thank you. I've got a lot that I can't share but I think anything from when I'm younger will be fine."

"We can start now," he suggested with a smile. "I was done anyway."

"Oh, it's late, I don't wanna bother you," she shook her head.

"It's okay, really," he smiled. She watched his silver eyes shine with her own and nodded slowly. "I have to use Legilimens, is that okay?"

She stiffened at the thought, her mind wandering back to when Bellatrix has invaded her mind at Malfoy Manor. "Um… how will… how does that work?"

"I'll cast the spell but not try and go anywhere," he told her slowly, noting how uncomfortable and scared she seemed. "You'll think of a memory and it'll send me there. As soon as I get there, I'll start making the walls and you'll watch how I do it. After that memory, we'll do it together."

She nodded slowly. "Okay."

He picked up her legs and moved on the couch until he sat across from her with his legs crossed. She crossed her own as well and sat up straight with her hands in her lap, squeezed together. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah."

His wand was on the table and he made no move to pick it up. She was startled as he placed his hands on her face gently and said the word in almost a whisper. "_Legilimens_."

She was shocked at the feeling of his mind sliding carefully in next to hers. It felt nothing like when Bellatrix went in - when she had, it felt almost like the woman had shoved her way in and tried to shove Hermione's mind to the bottom. It felt similar to when Crouch Jr had Imperiused her - and every other student - in the way that she had no control of her own mind.

She was filled with horror as they were sent to _that _memory instead of the one she'd been planning - a trip to the library with her parents.

She could see a ghostly Regulus next to her as the memory of her fourth year commenced. The two of them watched Crouch Jr. Imperius student after student until it faded away and Regulus pulled away from her mind, reaching for his wand. She let him, refusing to draw her own.

"What was that?" He asked sharply, his wand at her chest, poking her. It hurt a little but was certainly not the main priority.

"There's a lot in my life that I can't-,"

"That was _you_," he told her with a dark frown. He looked every bit as scary, even as an eleven year old, as she'd imagined Death Eater Regulus Black to be. "But different. Tell me why!"

She made a noise of frustration. "I'm twelve, yes?"

"Of course!"

"But in that memory, how old did I look?"

"Those were… probably fourth years," he shook his head. "What…?"

"Regulus, you weren't supposed to know this. No one but Leon and Severus do. I'm… Merlin, this is going to sound insane. I'm from the future."

"Give me proof."

She sighed. "Your cousin… Bellatrix. She's getting married into the Lestrange family, isn't she?"

He frowned. "That's not _proof_."

"And she's been following that terrorist that popped up, along with numerous other members of your family."

"This isn't… that's not proof!"

She glared at him and tore her sleeve up in frustration. "Does this look like something Bellatrix might do? That woman sure as hell doesn't know me yet, but I know her."

Regulus paled significantly as he stared at her arm. "They said… you were hurt badly."

"Bellatrix tortured me for hours and finished off by giving me _this_. It took over a year to heal."

"You're from the future."

She nodded in relief. "From 1998. I was de-aged when I got here and put with Severus."

He paused. "How old were you?"

"Nineteen."

"Wow, you're _really_ older than me."

"Actually, you're older than me," she laughed. "I was born in '79. You'll be eighteen by then."

"Time travel is ridiculous."

"You've no idea."

He paused to look at her with a frown. "Since I know, you can go through all your memories, right?"

She winced. "No. There's… a lot. I went through war. Even before that, things were bad. I don't think you should see that."

Regulus laughed bitterly. "You underestimate what I've seen."

"What… do you mean?"

"I _mean_ the only reason Mother didn't attack Sirius at Christmas and Easter is because you were there and she's hoping for a betrothal."

Revulsion ran through Adelaide. "Oh my god… no."

Regulus laughed. "Beyond that, Bellatrix did live with us for awhile. My family is cruel. I've seen plenty."

She sighed. "I'll show you my first year, yeah?"

"Shouldn't be too bad," he guessed, eyeing her. She only shrugged in response.

He placed his cold hands on her head again, his wand now dropped carelessly in his lap and cast the spell.

She showed him the train - where she first met Draco and held a polite conversation and then met Neville before finally meeting Harry and Ron.

"_Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one," she greeted as she entered the compartment, bushy hair and buck teeth and all. She looked significantly different from her current thirteen year old self, and she watched Regulus take that in as the scene played. "Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see then."_

_Ron cleared his throat and raised the wand a little higher. "Sunshine daisies, butter mellow. Turn this stupid fat rat yellow!" _

_The box flew off of Scabber's head and Adelaide got a good sight of the rat. Anger ran through her and she growled at the sight, catching the attention of Regulus. _

_A hand fell on her arm and she jumped, having forgotten she wasn't alone. She blushed as Regulus frowned at her, ignoring the mundane scene that was playing. "Addy?"_

"_That rat… he's not just a rat," she shook her head. "It's complicated. And a long story."_

"_Wanna tell me?"_

_She laughed. "A _long _story. I don't think we'd finish it tonight without staying up all night."_

_He nodded. "Then that's what we'll do."_

"_Reg-,"_

"_I mean it."_

"Why_?"_

"_Because it's bothering you," he replied. "And I've got a day off tomorrow. First years don't start until next week."_

_She nodded slowly. She'd forgotten they started later in order to let them get used to the castle. "There's a lot."_

"_Okay. Where does it start?"_

"_Let's… it doesn't start with me personally. I have to tell you this."_

He understood her easily and pulled gently from her mind. She relaxed back into the couch and laid her legs back across his own, settling in to tell the story.

"It started in 1981. There's a war going. The man on the dark side - the man Bellatrix is following - is called Voldemort. He's after this baby, Harry, because the baby was prophesied to have the power to defeat him. And so his parents go into… fuck," she winced. She _had_ to tell him who he was if she wanted to explain things later. "Harry was… Harry James Potter."

Regulus's eyes widened. "James's son?"

She nodded. "James and his wife took Harry into hiding. A fidelius charm. Sirius was secret keeper, obviously. Only… they knew that was too obvious."

Regulus shrugged. "I'd have guessed it."

"So they changed it secretly. Didn't tell Dumbledore, Remus, anyone. Instead of Sirius, it was Peter…" she sucked in a deep breath. "On Halloween of 1981, Voldemort found James and L- and his wife. James…" she blinked away the sudden tears as she realized how painful this would be. She'd known she would have to lose them but she had very carefully not thought about it. "He died. Then his wife sacrificed herself for Harry. Voldemort tried to kill him but it killed Voldemort instead. Um… sort of. He didn't die. He became a shade. Because he had… um, Reg, do you know what a horcrux is?"

Regulus froze in place, staring at her. "A _horcrux_? Are you sure?"

Adelaide nodded firmly. "He had many of them. Seven, actually. We- um, we destroyed them all before we killed him."

"You did kill him?"

She nodded. "Harry did. Our friend Neville killed the last horcrux - the snake, Nagini. It was made in 1994."

"Merlin…"

She touched his cheek gently. "You okay, Reg? I know this is a lot… it's still a lot for me even now."

"I'm fine. He didn't die because of the horcruxes, then. Is there more?"

She sighed, thinking. "Um, so I'd rather tell you the entire story before we go through the memories of it. I just.. don't think I'm up to watching it."

"That's fine. You don't have to do this if you don't want to, you know that, right?"

She waved him off. "I know. Anyway… between second and third year, our friend Ron and his family went to Egypt on vacation. It was in the paper. He had the rat, Scabbers, on his shoulder. Soon after… fuck. Reg. Everyone thought Sirius killed James and- and his wife. They didn't know they changed secret keepers, so he was arrested. He didn't get a trial and he was in Azkaban for twelve years."

Regulus didn't reply to her and instead stared straight ahead blankly. She pulled her legs off of his lap and moved over to wrap her arms around him. "I saw him just before I was sent back in time, Reg. He's happy and he's healthy. It's horrible that he's lost so much time and people but he's got Harry - his godson - and they take excellent care of one another. He's happy now."

Regulus nodded numbly after a few quiet moments. "Keep going."

"Are you sure?"

"Keep going, Adelaide."

She sighed and thought back to third year. "Sirius broke out of Azkaban. He, James, and Peter all became Animagi - or they will. I already am."

"You _are_?"

She gave him a small smile. "I'll show you someday." He made a noise of agreement and she moved back to the topic at hand. "A lot happened. He knew that the rat in the picture was Peter-,"

"Peter," Regulus interrupted. "That's why you hate him so much. You _know_."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Sirius recognized Peter and knew he'd be going back to Hogwarts where Harry was, so he broke out to protect Harry. Everyone thought he broke out to kill Harry, though, so they sent Dementors to the school."

"Merlin."

"Yeah. You can imagine how well that went with Harry's past, not to mention some things in our first and second year. But luckily, Remus was hired for DADA that year and he sent them away."

"He'd make a good teacher."

"He was our best," she agreed. "Sirius managed to break in and get above Ron before he was caught. Then he cut up the portrait guarding the Gryffindor Tower because it wouldn't let him in. We had to sleep in the Great Hall that night, it was terrible."

"The entire school slept in the Great Hall?"

She blinked. "No, just Gryffindor. I was a Gryffindor before."

He stared at her in shock. "_You_ are no Gryffindor."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult."

"Both, I think."

She nodded a little and decided to move on. She knew why she was a Slytherin now and it wasn't something she felt like getting into at the moment. "Anyways, Ron and I had been fighting all year because he claimed my cat Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers. He hadn't - though he should've - and the rat was found in Hagrid's hut.

"He grabbed the rat and we were walking back to the castle when the rat bit him and ran away. That's when a huge black dog - Sirius - grabbed Ron by the ankle and dragged him to… a secret place."

"A secret place?"

She sighed tiredly. "It's not my secret to give right now."

He waved her on.

"We followed him and found Sirius. Remus joined us and they revealed Peter. Um… Severus was a teacher too, and he showed up. Harry accidentally knocked him out." She frowned in frustration as she realized she had to share Remus's secret to finish the story. "Regulus, before I continue, I need you to take a Wizard's Oath that you will not share any of this information without permission from myself or the wizard in question."

He plucked his wand from his lap. "I, Regulus Arcturus Black, do swear to keep the stories told to me tonight a secret, especially whatever is told to me next, unless I have express permission from Adelaide Snape."

His wand lit up softly before fading out. She let out a sigh of relief that he thought to cover everything she told him in general.

"Thank you. So, um… Remus is a werewolf."

"Oh, yeah, I knew that," Regulus nodded like it was obvious. Adelaide threw her head back in exhaustion.

"The place we went to is the place he goes when he transforms. And unfortunately, it was a full moon that night - we had all forgotten with the commotion. He transformed and Sirius turned into Padfoot - his dog self - to fight him off. He would've gotten badly injured but Moony - Remus's wolf self - ran off. There was a dementor attack on Sirius and Harry, but a Patronus saved him."

"A lot of this seems… very random."

She gave him an understanding smile. "I was confused at the time, too. We're getting there, don't worry."

"Whatever you say."

"So we're in the infirmary, Ron can't walk and Harry and I are mostly frustrated. Sirius was captured again. Remus was injured as well from the full moon. And _I_ was using a time turner for my classes - which I do _not_ recommend - and Dumbledore, the slimy old man, told me to use it to go back in time and fix things that he, as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, could fix himself. Still, Harry was anxious to do something, so we went back in time and saved a Hippogriff, howled to Remus to distract him from Sirius, and then Harry cast the Patronus to save himself and Sirius. After that, we went and broke Sirius out of the cell he was in… well, I did, and he says he owes me a life debt for it, but he's learned to stop mentioning it because everytime he does, I hex him."

Adelaide cut off and sucked in a few breaths as she suddenly realized she had forgotten to breathe. Regulus was staring at her in wonder and confusion as she calmed her breathing.

"He _does_ owe you a life debt," Regulus said. Her eyes narrowed, but he put his hands on hers so she wouldn't hex him. "Listen, it's important to ancient and noble houses. There's this spell the ministry can cast and if any House owes a life debt, they _have_ to repay it however the wizengamot wishes if the person it is owed to denies it."

"So… you're saying that if I deny the life debt, the Wizengamot will force Sirius to do something? _Anything_?" Regulus nodded seriously and she paled. "_Fine_… I know exactly what I'll do."

"What's that?"

"I'll ask him to treat Kreacher with kindness and respect," she grinned as Regulus's mouth fell open. "As I've been begging him to do for four years."

"That'll just get him killed when he fails to do it," Regulus laughed, throwing himself down onto the side of the couch.

"It'll fulfill the life debt," she reasoned. "And I've got nothing else."

Xx

By November, Adelaide had managed to skip most of her classes without notice. She was still able to Apparate, so she would walk to Hogsmeade and apparate to the Black Estate - Arcturus's home. She'd yet to meet him, but she had received a letter from Orion on her second week back explaining that she was allowed full access to all of their libraries, including the Malfoy one. She'd kindly declined that offer while accepting the offer to explore the Black Estate.

She found numerous rare books on time travel that gave her very little insight on how to get back. They did, however, answer another question for her.

"Regulus!" She called, racing into the library with the book tucked under her arm. "Reg, why didn't you tell me your grandfather has a book on the sands of time?"

He blinked at her, dropping his quill. "I, uh… didn't know?"

"I figured it out!"

"How to get back?" His eyes widened in shock. She shook her head quickly, waving at her face.

"No! My eyes. You know the saying 'the eyes are a window to the soul?'"

"Yeah?"

"And our _core_ is our soul?"

He paused. "Yes."

"_Well_, after doing some reading, I figured it out! The _reason_ they couldn't make more time turners after we destroyed them is because the sands are produced by these certain people, the people of time that have the sands inside of them!"

"What, so they're just going to come harvest you?" Regulus shook his head in confusion. "I don't understand, Adelaide."

"No. The sands don't turn to _sands_ until I die. Well, my cells die, but it's the same thing. They're basically marinating," she let out a sharp laugh.

"What does that mean for you?"

She sighed. "It means my core is more powerful than before. I didn't notice it because it was fluctuating already from the scar. But aside from that, there's rumor that I can function as a human time turner basically. I don't know how or if it's even true, but it's there."

Regulus laughed. "Are you gonna turn into an hourglass now?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'll hex you, Regulus Black."

"Yes, ma'am," he winked, ducking as she shot off a harmless hex. He laughed loudly as she huffed and turned to stomp out of the library and find Severus.

Xx

Adelaide had been passing friends with the Slytherin sisters, Daphne and Astoria. Daphne had been snarky but loyal and kind - though she was probably the most Ravenclaw person Adelaide had known despite being in Slytherin. Astoria was foul mouthed and had a quick temper, though she loved quick. She, too, had strong Slytherin traits, and she used them much more often than her sister did, most likely to get what she wanted. She reminded Adelaide of Sirius somewhat.

She now looked for those girls in their father as he sat before her in casual robes, sipping at tea. She drank her own down before setting the cup on the beautiful glass table and looking directly up at the young man. "Sir, it is nice to meet you, but I am very busy. If you'll excuse my rudeness, may I inquire why you're here?"

He bowed his head in apology. "Of course. You've got a lot of… studying. As it is, our mutual friend Aberforth has informed me that you are potentially in danger. I can offer you aid if you can provide a way to contact me."

She breathed out in relief. "I can. Did he explain my circumstances?"

"He did. You're nineteen?"

"Twenty now, actually," she corrected, looking away to reach into her bag. A moment later she tapped her wand to the galleon in her hand and breathed out in relief when it didn't light up. After casting the required spells, she handed it over and connected it to her own master galleon. "Use this to send messages. If it grows warm, I'm in immediate danger."

It took her nearly ten minutes to show him the right spells and the meeting was ended soon after. He left her in the library, and she leaned back with a sigh. It was exhausting trying to trust all of these new people. Still, she trusted Aberforth and he trusted them. That was enough for her.

She crossed her legs on the chair and closed her eyes, thinking back over her time in the past so far. She'd made such good friends with the Marauders that it almost hurt, simply for the fact that she knew what would happen. And just when she thought she could handle that, Draco came. Of all people, _Draco_. Still, they'd handled it. But now, for a reason she didn't understand, she felt… lost. Confused.

There was a knock at the door and she looked up, startled. Her wand fell into her hand as she stood to see a man she'd never met through the glass. She'd never met him but it was easy to tell he was a Black - he had the black hair and silver eyes to prove it. She waved him in and he bowed his head before speaking.

"I apologize for startling you," he smiled. "Orion told me the house would be empty today. The wards disagreed."

She scowled. "He _knew_ I'd be here."

The man chuckled. "He does what he wants."

"Like his son, then."

"Are you a friend of… Sirius?" He guessed carefully. She shrugged.

"Sirius and Regulus, actually."

"I'm their Uncle Alphard," he greeted, bowing his head again. "You must be Adelaide Snape."

She raised an eyebrow. "You know me?"

"Walburga won't stop going on about the girl that's setting her son straight," he chuckled. "And since Orion hasn't stopped the friendship, I'd assume you're not doing what she thinks."

She shrugged. "I'm doing what I need to do to stay with my friends."

"A good answer," he nodded firmly. "But if you don't mind me asking, why aren't you at school?"

"I have research to do."

"Ah, to do with the," he paused to wave at his own eyes and she frowned in response. The reason no one had reacted strongly to her brightly glowing eyes was because Aberforth had thought outside of the box and given her a pair of reuseable contacts that covered it, though she'd not worn them over the summer.

"You can see that?"

"Am I not supposed to?"

She frowned heavily. "No, I- no, you shouldn't."

"Is it safe?" He wondered, stepping closer. She forced herself to relax as he cast a wandless spell diagnostic charm. The results were written in the air and she blinked at them.

_Non-conclusive_

"Fuck," she whispered. That was _not_ good. The scans Aberforth had done had given interesting but not alarming results. Apparently, something had changed and she knew she needed a specialist. "I need- do you know any Unspeakables?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I happen to be one. Why?"

"I need someone from the time room," she corrected herself. "I- I think something might be very wrong."

Xx

Adelaide ducked and giggled as Marlene tried to slap her arm. The girl shook her head and focused back on the people passing them.

"Okay… one!" Marlene opened her eyes and pointed at the person directly in front of her, a Slytherin fourth year named Deadalus Diggle. "Ugh, pass."

"He's not that bad," Addy reminded her. "Keep going."

"Mmk," Marlene nodded, closing her eyes again. "And… two!" She opened her eyes and found herself pointing at a first year Gryffindor. "Ew. Pass."

"Marly, that leaves you with whoever you pick for third. You never know, that first year could be lovely."

"Gryffindors frustrate me."

Adelaide shrugged. Her friend was right - anytime she got near the Marauders she lost her temper, even though she called them all her friends.

"Alright…" she closed her eyes and took in a dramatic deep breath. "Three!"

Adelaide burst into laughter. "This is _great_."

Marlene opened her eyes and groaned loudly. Her finger pointed straight at Sirius, the Marauder she had a particularly hard time being civil around. "No, take me back to Diggle!"

"This is your own fault," Adelaide pointed out, giggling. "You're marrying Sirius!"

"Fine, _your_ turn," Marlene huffed. Adelaide shrugged and waited for the crowd to move a little so she wouldn't pick Sirius as well.

"And… one!" She peeked her eyes open and nearly choked on her spit. "Ugh, Yaxley. No."

"You never know, he might be lovely," Marlene snickered. Adelaide gave her a glare before closing her eyes again.

"Two!" She blinked her eyes open and found her finger on a familiar face. "Yeah, that's fine with me."

Marlene raised an eyebrow. "Pandora? Isn't she a first year Ravenclaw?"

Addy nodded. "Yeah, I like her. She's weird."

"Do you like _girls_?" Marlene whispered conspiratorially. Adelaide rolled her eyes.

"I like _people_."

"Why're you guys whispering?"

The two girls turned and glanced up to see Regulus and Severus blinking down at them. Before Adelaide could stop her, Marlene replied loudly. "Addy's gonna marry Pandora!"

Adelaide sighed deeply.

Xx

Sitting with Remus had nearly gotten her disowned by her brother and her house, but she didn't care. It was Sirius and James's first match on the Quidditch team and she wanted to support Remus since he had no one but the rat there with him. Lily was back at the castle tutoring first years and so she had missed it, too.

Truthfully, Sirius and James were picked because they were good and the captain was desperate. Nearly the entire team had graduated the year before and unfortunately for her, the only people interested in Quidditch were either young or very bad at it. Therefore, James was a Chaser and Sirius was a Beater.

There were no Dementors. There were no rogue bludgers. There were no dangerous moves or broken arms. There was no Lockhart. The only danger James and Sirius faced in that game was their opponent: Slytherin.

Even in the future, Slytherin played dirty. It was a well known fact. But here, they played in a way that made Adelaide wonder if they wanted to _kill_.

It was nearly thirty minutes of clutching Remus's hand when she saw it happen in what could only be slow motion. Sirius threw the bludger at the Slytherin Seeker and it was intercepted by the Slytherin Chaser, who threw it to their Beater with a long string of curses. The Seeker, in retaliation, turned on her broom and threw a _bombarda_ at Sirius's broom. The broom shattered into a million splinters and he fell freely to the ground.

Adelaide's gut twisted horribly as she shoved people out of her way, rushing to the bottom of the bleachers. Once there, she finally had a clear shot. With her wand hand - but no wand - pointed at her friend, she screamed the spell, hoping to god and every deity she knew of that it worked and he lived.

"_Arresto Momentum_!"

She felt the sheer power of the spell spurred on by her emotions blast out and slam into Sirius. Instead of slowing his descent as it normally would, he froze in the air about fifteen feet from the ground. She stared at him in shock and held the spell, unsure what to do.

"_Alarte Ascendare_," a loud, booming voice called. Adelaide felt her spell falter before ending completely and collapsed into Remus's arms. She fought the exhaustion as it overcame her but the amount of power she put into that spell was an amount she'd never used before and she had no choice but to fall into a deep sleep.

Xx

Remus, Sirius, Severus, Regulus, Lily, James, and Leon stood and sat around her bed quietly. Sirius had been fine, not injured save for a few small splinters and a bad temper.

And then they'd told him what happened.

Since then, they'd been gathered around her bed. Her magic was palpable in the air as she rested and no matter how many times Madame Pomfrey sent them away, they came back as soon as she wasn't looking.

There was a curious golden glow beneath her skin that made her skin hot to the touch. Even the mediwitch admitted she was unsure what it was.

A full day after the event, the witch only came by to check on her and give her potions. The students had been excused from class for the rest of the week, something they were all grateful for.

In the middle of the night the day after the match, the door flew open. It was dark and quiet, but Sirius and Regulus both shot up, always weary of sudden noises.

To their surprise, they were met with the sight of their uncle.

"Uncle Alphard?" Sirius asked, stretching. "What's wrong? Ooh, did mother die?"

"Not yet," he replied, gently shoving his nephew out of the way. "I came to check on your friend here."

"Why? Didn't they say it's just like a magical coma for the accidental magic?" Sirius blinked, lighting up his wand. Alphard shook his head at the same time as Regulus.

"Reg, what do _you_ know?" Alphard wondered as he waved his wand silently over Adelaide.

"I know… where she came from," he frowned as his uncle tilted his head. "I know a lot about… a lot of things I can't really say."

"Why?" Sirius frowned. "What did she tell you?"

"Hey, it's not important," Alphard interrupted. "I can tell you this. There was an accident before she came to stay with her family and some of this stuff that we're studying filled her - her core. And it's possible that in an emotional moment, like seeing her friend plummet to his potential death, it would… activate, in a way. But we don't have enough information on this or what it'll do to her. Right now, she's just in a magical coma."

Sirius furrowed his brow. "Is that why her eyes are…"

"Yes, it is," Alphard nodded.

"But what can you do for her?" Regulus wondered quietly.

"I can take her to the Department of Mysteries," Alphard sighed. "I have an… idea. It's dangerous. I'm concerned. No one owes her any life debts, do they?" He laughed. It was a joke, something he did when he was nervous, but Regulus froze.

"Reg?" Sirius poked him. "Do _you_ owe her a-,"

Regulus shook his head. "Um, Uncle Alphard, it has to do with… you know. But it's someone _here_."

Alphard paused. "It… might work. Magic exists through… it might work. Do you know the circumstances?"

"Yeah, she told me the entire story."

"What's going on here?" Sirius snapped. "What did she tell you?"

"Will you shut up," Leon hissed. "We're trying to sleep."

"She's from the future," Alphard told Sirius.

Leon let out a groan. "I fucking hate the past."

"_You're _from the future, too?" Alphard stared at him. He shrugged.

"Yeah, it's _her_ fault I got pulled here," he complained. "I was about to have some cake and I touched my fucking galleon and… whoosh, here I am."

"Guys, what the fuck," Sirius looked at all of them. "Do you really expect me to believe this?"

"I don't know how to prove it to you," Regulus shrugged helplessly. "She showed me some things. Her but with this… bushy brown hair and brown eyes and buck teeth being Imperiused."

"Merlin, she showed you _that_?" Leon winced. "That was a hell of a class."

"A _class_?" Sirius gaped. "What kind of class-,"

"A terrorist was teaching it," Leon shrugged. "It was a mess of a year. She dated a Bulgarian Quidditch star that couldn't even pronounce her name. It was hilarious."

"I can't prove it," Regulus said again, gaining his brother's attention. "But she needs help. And _you _owe her a life debt."

Sirius blinked. "Why?"

"It's a- a _really_ long story, but basically you were going to die and she saved you. I think she saved you again after that but we stopped there," Regulus shook his head. "Help her."

Sirius sighed. "What can I do?"

"Come with me," Alphard requested. "We have to go to the DOM. You need to make a Vow to bring her back to life if she ever dies and be there in case she does."

"Fuck, what are you gonna do?"

Alphard just shook his head tiredly. "Help her, hopefully."

Xx

The Department Of Mysteries was a confusing mess of doors. Somehow, Alphard knew which door to go to. Sirius levitated Adelaide through it and followed up last, looking around in wonder. There was a large room filled with two large tubs of hourglasses with golden glowing sand in them.

As he passed them, Adelaide's entire body began glowing brighter.

"Uncle Alphard! Something is happening!"

Alphard whirled around and stopped short at the sight. "Oh… shit." He waved Sirius forward and the boy ran, Adelaide still in front of him. Even as he passed through the next door, she didn't stop glowing. "We should hurry."

"What's happening to her?" Sirius asked firmly.

"When she was sent back in time, a time turner was smashed into her chest. The sands were absorbed into her body and bonded with her core. The accidental magic at the game was fueled by the sands and it released them into her regular magic core - the outer part of the core where the magic she uses comes from. Before, it only sat in the inner core where the residual magic sits in case of magical drain. Now, it's flowing through her body and trying to change her. I don't know entirely what into.

"There's a possibility it'll turn her into sands. Kill her. It also might do something good or even send her back to her own time. We just don't know. We haven't had a chance to study her yet. As of now, what I can tell you is that it's basically suffocating her. You know how you need air to breathe? And if you have too much of it at once, it'll kill you? You also need magic to live. And too much in a concentrated dose and it can kill you if you're not used to it. _That's _what I know right now. I know of one way of removing some of it but it's very experimental and can kill if you're a normal wizard. That's why you're here."

"So where are we going if not to the time turners?" Sirius asked. They were still running through corridors and passageways until they stopped in front of a plain black door that made Sirius shiver.

Alphard tapped the handle with his wand and sucked in a sharp breath as the door opened slowly. He continued inside, and Sirius followed him, only stopping when he caught sight of what was inside the room.

A large stone dias sat in the middle of the otherwise empty room.

"You're not… she's not going near that… right?" Sirius asked quietly. Though his voice was near whisper, it still travelled throughout the room, echoing off each wall.

"She has to," his uncle replied. "But if something happens, you're here."

"Right…"

Alphard moved over and grabbed Adelaide out of the air. Sirius dropped his wand to his side and forced himself to move next to his uncle as he approached the terrifying veil.

"What is it?"

"It's for wizards and witches before they become an Obscurus," he admitted. "When they've got too much magic built up inside them that can hurt them."

"Do you- oh Merlin, do you think Addy's gonna become an Obscurus?" Sirius looked at his uncle in alarm.

Alphard shook his head. "This isn't her organic magic. It came from an outside source. It's different. That's why I'm slightly concerned about using the Arch. It's our best chance, though."

"How are we gonna do this?"

"I can't levitate her through - my magic will interfere. Typically they're supposed to be awake and walk through on their own. We might need to wake her."

"Can we wake her? Safely?"

"I think so, yes," he nodded, gently placing her on the ground. He cast the spell to wake her and stepped back to ensure she wasn't crowded.

Which, apparently, was the wrong choice.

When her eyes opened, there was a look of recognition in them. She looked to her side - the wrong side, the Veil side - and let out a gasp. "No! No, not again!"

Alphard rushed forward and placed a hand on each shoulder. She leaned back and elbowed him in the gut, throwing herself to the side to get away from him.

"Not again!" She screamed, raising her hand. "We won't… do this again!"

"Addy, it's us!" Sirius yelled. Her eyes shot to him and widened, though they were still glazed over.

"Sirius… don't… she's going to _kill_ you," she shook her head, raising her hand at him. "_Aqua Eructo_!"

Sirius was shot violently backwards until he slammed into the stone floor and coughed the water out of his lungs.

"Do you recognize me?" Alphard asked cautiously. "Sirius is safe. He's also a young boy."

She narrowed her eyes at him but glanced over to see the twelve year old Sirius jogging back over, soaked in water. "S-Sirius?"

"Hey there," he smiled nervously. "Let's… _not_ hit me with water again, yeah?"

"She was- about to kill you, I saw it," she whispered. "Bellatrix was going to cast a spell and you were looking at Harry and Dolohov," she winced at the name that had come from her own mouth. "He was holding me back."

"Kitten," Sirius held out a hand which she hesitantly took and stared at their intertwined fingers as if they confused her. "I'm just a kid. Bellatrix and I have never fought in this room. Dolohov doesn't know who you are."

She furrowed her brow as she took in his words. "What's happening?"

"Short term memory loss," Alphard cut in. "I assume it's temporary. You're in 1972. There was an accident."

Her eyes widened dramatically and she dropped Sirius's hand out of stress. "Oh my god. But… it's Harry's birthday!"

Sirius let out a laugh. "I'm sure it'll still be his birthday when you get back."

She stared at him. "_You_ were looking at me weird for… weeks."

"That's me, friendly neighborhood creep."

"And then… we went up the stairs to find the twins and… oh my god," her nose twitched. "I'm going to hex them so bad."

"I'd _love_ to see that," Sirius grinned.

She narrowed her eyes. "Have all the fun you want. You've got a godson that thinks the world revolves around you and _I _can tell him every damn thing you do."

"_Anyways_," Alphard interrupted. "You're actually in a bit of danger. We can explain after, but we need you to walk through this Veil."

"No."

"Adelaide, you don't understand," he tried.

"My best friend died in there."

Both of them paused to look at her darkly, and Sirius placed a hand on her arm gently. "But you'll be safe, Addy."

Her eyes settled on the magical Veil behind her. "Are you… sure?"

"Certain."

Showing her complete faith in Sirius, she stepped straight into the Veil.

Alphard grabbed Sirius's arms as the boy tried to rush forward after her while they both watched her fall away into the Veil. Despite knowing that she would do it, it still terrified Sirius. Something about the Veil just seemed so… _wrong_.

She faded away into it for only a moment before she fell out, hard, on the other side… different.

"Who the hell is that?" Sirius gaped.

"I believe," Alphard said with a chuckle. "This is Adelaide as she was when she arrived in our time."

"She's so _different_," Sirius whispered. "Why does she look like this?"

"I'd assume the Veil stripped that magic off of her," Alphard suggested. "It's not that hard to replace."

She mumbled quietly as she woke, rolling over. Sirius moved in closer, grabbing her hand. Her eyes opened slowly and she blinked a few times at her friend. "Sirius."

"Hey."

"What… happened?"

"Um… look at yourself," he suggested with a nervous laugh. She glanced down and gasped loudly, sitting up abruptly.

"Oh my god!" She stared. "What happened- _how_?"

"The Veil," Alphard answered her.

"I need to get back to the castle and wait for Aberforth," she shook herself. "I can't stay like this." Alphard helped her stand and she laughed nervously. "It's been awhile since I've been this tall."

"What's your name?"

She blinked at Sirius. "What?"

"Your _real_ name," he corrected. She sighed.

"You'll meet me in the future. Are you sure you want to-,"

"Yes."

She let out a startled laugh. "My name in 1998 was Hermione Jean Granger."

"Hermione…" he scrunched up his nose. "I don't like it."

"Yeah, you call me Kitten a lot," she laughed at his familiar pout. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

"Good idea! I'll call you Kitten. Thanks, Kitten."

She let out a slow breath and turned to Alphard. "I'm going back to the castle. Please inform Aberforth I need him there."

With that, she turned on her ankle and disapparated out of the Ministry, leaving a pouting Sirius and a confused Alphard.

Confused, because no one was able to apparate out of or into the ministry.

Xx

An otter Patronus slipped into the infirmary and landed in front of Leon. "Come to the Room. Um… a lot happened."

He cursed loudly. "Fucking Granger…" he muttered as he stood and rushed from the room. He ignored every question her friends asked him as they followed him and just raced four floors up to the Room Of Requirement where the door was slightly open as they always left it for each other.

He opened the door with a bang and stood in the doorway, frozen in shock. "You're fucking kidding me."

"Oh my god, Draco, you _brought them_?" She snapped, glancing over his shoulder. "I called you!"

"Well I didn't realize you were a fucking adult again!" He argued, stomping into the room. "What the hell happened?"

"I-," she paused, looking at James, Regulus, Remus, Severus, and Lily, who had all followed Draco in his haste. "God, everything's fucked. I've ruined time."

"Merlin," Regulus breathed, staring at her in surprise. She glanced over to him and he quieted quickly, much to her relief. She trusted him to keep her secrets, but she couldn't blame him for being surprised.

"Do we get to tell everyone now?" Draco asked. "Oh, better yet, _can we go back_?"

She narrowed her eyes. "We can tell all of them but we're not going back."

"Back where?" Lily asked them, stepping forward. "Are you…"

"I can't really prove it because Aberforth isn't here to set all the charms again," she admitted. "But I'm Adelaide and I'm from the future."

"You're _Adelaide_?" James frowned. "But she's twelve!"

"No, she's from the future," Severus agreed. "She only came to us because there was an accident."

"If you're from the future, where are you from?" Remus wondered.

"1998," she smiled. "I was nineteen. My name was Hermione Granger and in my third year, I had the best DADA teacher ever."

Severus narrowed his eyes. "You said _I _was your DADA teacher in sixth year."

Adelaide just winked at him.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Lily questioned.

"My DADA teacher was Professor R J Lupin," she laughed. The boy in question stared at her in shock. "You taught me the Patronus and how to face my fears. We became good friends after you left."

"But…" Regulus shook his head. "What happened while you were gone?"

"Aren't you more surprised that she's from the _future_?" James asked, rolling his eyes. The younger boy shook his head.

"I knew."

"_He_ knew?"

Adelaide raised her hands. "Calm down. I asked Reg to teach me Occlumency and made a mistake when focusing on memories. He saw something from my fourth year and I ended up telling him."

"Where's Sirius?" Regulus asked her.

"I left him with Alphard. Aberforth should be coming soon to help me get back to my… younger state."

"This is so weird," James told her. "You're an adult!"

"Yeah. When I was de-aged, though, I _felt_ like a kid."

"So… you're a kid when you look like one and an adult when you don't?" Remus asked. She shrugged in response.

"You guys are taking this pretty well."

"Regulus and Severus both vouched for you," Lily commented. "Plus… whatever weird thing is going on with Leon."

"Oh, he's from the future, too," she nodded at him. "He accidentally got brought back here when I was trying to contact Aberforth."

"So you _did_ know him before," James narrowed his eyes at Leon in what Adelaide was sure he thought was a subtle manner.

"What idiotic idea are you having?" She asked him with a frown. James looked between her, Leon, Remus, and Regulus like a dog in headlights.

"Um… we were just… wondering why he always stares at your scar?"

Adelaide closed her eyes slowly. "Of course you were. But truthfully, it's none of your business."

"You just had said, you know, you were captured with your friends so we figured he was probably one of your friends."

"Potter, shut up," Severus growled.

"It's fine," Leon told him. He'd gone still and was looking at anything but Adelaide. "Her and her friend Harry and Sirius were captured. They were brought to _my_ house. To _my_ parents and… _my_ leader. We were on opposite ends of the war. I heard her screaming for hours, crying and begging. I wasn't her friend that day."

Anger soared through Adelaide as she stared at her broken friend. "His father bound him and left him on the floor in the room next to me. His mother was threatened with death and she was a Slytherin. She knew better. He had no choice. He's an idiot and he's cared for me since our fourth year. _You_ had no right to question me or him about why he stares at my scar - he stares because it's a reminder of what he couldn't do. Does no one notice me look at his arm?"

Everyone but Leon looked at her in surprise, though only Lily was brave enough to speak. "You do?"

She nodded once. "He holds a mark on his arm that reminds me of why I fought. It reminds me of every failed battle and the worst of them all - the people I didn't get to save and instead had to fight. Think of it this way. If I'm so young and just fought a war… surely I'm not the only one."

Xx

Aberforth marched into the Room in frustration, his eyes settling on the young students and the young adult. "I have never had to use so much of this potion in such a short period of time."

"Do you brew it yourself?" She asked, already moving to lie down for him to charm her core back to look like Adelaide Snape.

He shook his head, pausing with his wand above her. "Are you sure you want all of your friends here?"

She shrugged. "They know everything now. I don't care."

"We'll have to conjure a screen for when you take the potion," he explained as he changed her hair texture, color, and length. Once it was the same silky black hair she'd been used to for awhile, he pushed up her shirt and began working on the scars she had. "This seems mildly pointless now."

"If any nurse saw those on a thirteen year old girl…" she trailed off.

"Merlin," James gasped. "Where did you get those?"

Remus smacked the back of his head. "She was in a war, you idiot!"

"That ones deep," Lily whispered, poking the side Aberforth wasn't working on gently. Adelaide tilted her head to look at it and cringed.

"Yeah, Dolohov sent a curse at me," she told them. "It was bad. Remus actually shoved me out of the way. If he hadn't, Madame Pomfrey said I would've died."

Remus stared with wide eyes. "_I_ saved your life?"

She nodded. "It was a… really bad night for everyone. Dolohov came after me because I escaped him the year before and I was chasing after Harry, who was-," She cut off, her eyes sliding over to her brother. Harry had been chasing Severus, and the two had fought. It filled that pit of confusion and anger just a little more and she tore her gaze away. "He was chasing a Death Eater who had hurt someone he cared for."

"Death Eater?" Regulus stared. "What an obnoxious name. Are they the terrorists?"

She nodded slowly. She hadn't meant to let that slip, but really she'd known it would eventually. "Yes. Their leader is called Voldemort."

"This one won't cover up," Aberforth mentioned, pointing to a scar on her rib cage. She frowned, trying to remember what it was and who had given it to her when Draco spoke up.

"That was me."

She glanced at him in confusion. "I don't remember that."

He looked more ashamed than she'd seen him since the train ride. "The same fight. You don't remember?"

She shook her head with a frown.

"Before you got out to the fields, me and- um, my friends, we caught up to you. We had to follow. Aunt Bellatrix-,"

"_Bella is your aunt_?" Regulus stared at him, almost glaring. Draco shrugged helplessly.

"Narcissa is my mother."

Regulus waited a beat as he processed this information. "That means Cissa is going to marry _Malfoy_. Oh, Merlin…"

"Draco," Adelaide snapped. "The scar?"

"We caught up to you. I wasn't trying to hurt you, I swear. I tried to send it past you. It hit you. They kept running and I- Merlin, I stayed and I healed you and woke you up as I left."

"What did you hit me with?" She wondered, glancing back at the thin scar.

He hesitated, glancing at Severus and back at her. "Sectumsempra."

"Ah, fuck." Her eyes drifted down to the scar, pushing away Aberforth's hand. It was useless, she knew. The scar wouldn't be covered. "Don't bother, just move on."

"What's Sectumsempra?" Severus asked. "What does it have to do with me?"

Adelaide and Draco hesitated, but eventually Adelaide answered him. "It's a very dangerous curse that can kill in two minutes. It's attracted to the closest living thing - which is why he couldn't miss when he tried not to hit me - and it slices the person open horribly. It draws blood to the surface and makes you bleed out."

"And?"

"And… you created it."

"For Merlin's sake," Aberforth grumbled. "I'm bloody sick of this time travel bullshit."

"Why would _I_ create something that… brutal? Destructive?"

"Better question, why did Leon hit her with it?" Lily asked with a frown.

"His father is a Malfoy," Adelaide smiled at her friend. "He's a very powerful dark wizard. Draco was stuck on that side our entire lives. It was too dangerous for him to switch to the light. Even when his father was in jail, Bellatrix had just broken out. She was controlling him then. He had no choice but to limit the damage."

"That's awful," Lily frowned.

"It's time to de-age you," Aberforth interrupted.

The screen was put up and she gulped down the nasty potion. While it went into effect, Regulus ran off to find Marlene and retrieve a set of clothes for her as the transfigured clothing she was currently wearing was torn and tattered.

By the time he was back, she was done and looked like her twelve year old self again. It was shocking to her once again how different her mind felt.

Once she changed her clothes, she walked out to see her friends with a smile. "I feel… more normal."

"It's weird to have seen you as an _adult_," James told her. "But… it doesn't even feel weird for you to be a kid again."

"The potion has that effect on anyone she's close with," Aberforth mentioned. "It's like a Notice Me Not charm on her and anyone that knows the truth. It's very effective."

A patronus of a wild cat ran into the room and stopped directly in front of Adelaide. She stared, waiting, but no message came. Nearly thirty seconds later, the door opened and Alphard and Sirius walked in, looking somewhat confused.

"We've looked for you everywhere," Sirius commented. "All of you. What the hell is this place?"

"It's a secret room," she waved off his question. "Did something happen?"

Alphard stared at her. "You _apparated out of the ministry. _That's a little confusing."

She frowned at him. "Is that not… normal?"

He shook his head once. "No."

Her mind went back to escaping the Ministry during the year on the run and she wondered vaguely how she'd forgotten. It was an important place, and while security had always been rather lax, it made sense they had wards up against apparition like at Hogwarts or in Manors.

Aberforth stared at her. "That time turner changed you. No one should be able to apparate when there are anti apparition wards up."

She crossed her legs on the table and looked at Alphard expectantly. "So, what did the Veil do to me?"

He looked uncomfortable. "Perhaps we should talk alone."

"I'm hungry anyways," James commented. She knew he'd get it out of her later anyway and appreciated him giving them privacy.

"Let's go," Remus nodded. Lily smiled and took his arm after wishing her luck and the three left, leaving her with Severus, Sirius, Regulus, and Draco.

"This is not alone," Alphard told her, raising an eyebrow at his nephews. Both ignored him.

"I don't mind them staying, honestly," she told him. "My friends will find out eventually anyways."

He acknowledged her with a nod and sat in a chair in front of her. "So what we do know is that the sands of time were taken into your core. And we knew that the day we met when I ran those tests. But that day, they sat in your inner core."

"My reserves."

"Yes. At the game, however, your surge of emotion which typically triggers a usual bout of accidental magic - which comes from your reserves - instead pulled out that magic that had been mixed with the sands of time. And that's why instead of slowing his fall, you stopped it completely. It was overpowered."

"I could've told you that," she sighed. "I've never felt magic that strong before."

"The problem," he continued. "Is that the sand magic poured through your active magic to be used. And it became infected. It turned _all_ of your magic into that same, horribly overpowered magic."

"But falling through the Veil, that fixed it?"

He shook his head. "We're not quite there yet. See, that magic was Unstable. It's what magic turns to in a witch or wizard before they become an Obscurus."

She froze. "An- oh my _god_, did I nearly become an Obscurus?"

He shook his head quickly. "This is just a theory, mind you, but I'm nearly certain that if it were your magic alone, you would have already been one. Since it wasn't, you're fine. And that's what the Veil is for. It strips you of the dangerous, Unstable magic before you can hurt anyone. For kids, that also means they can be taught and learn to _use_ their magic instead of repressing it. That's why the door to the Veil is always open - in emergencies like ours, there's not always time to find a Ministry official."

Her mind drifted back to her fifth year. "I saw someone fall through it once. In my fifth year."

"Who?" Severus frowned. She glanced at him and felt her heart skip a beat.

"Sirius nearly did," she replied, anxiety building within her at the memory. It was one that had always made her a mess. "But… it was actually one of my best friends, Ron."

Draco looked down in shame. It had been his father to single out Ron and duel him. Ron had run up to Harry and Sirius for protection in numbers and had been hit by both Lucius and Bellatrix at the same time. Sirius had lunged for him and Harry had barely caught his arm before he could fall into the Veil, too. And then it had been Sirius's turn to hold Harry back. Hermione had no problem not running after him as she was still being held tightly by Dolohov, who had laughed cruelly in her ear.

"I'm sorry," Regulus whispered, grabbing her hand. She forced a smile and glanced at Alphard.

"Why did he… I don't understand."

"The Veil… sort of steals magic. Usually when an Obscurus is about to be born, they've amassed nearly double the magic normally in their core and it's spilling over, poisoning their body. If a normal wizard went in, it would drain their core."

"And kill them," she sighed in understanding. "But then what did it do for me?"

"For you… it seems to have stabilized the magic without removing it. I'd assume this is because the magic, while bonded to you and available for your use, still is not organically yours."

"So I'm… safe, right?"

Adelaide and Alphard shared a look of confusion for a short minute.

"Yes?" He guessed with a nervous laugh. "I'd prefer to do some tests."

Adelaide looked to Sirius. She wasn't sure why, but she felt the strong need for him to tell her she'd be okay. He gave her a nod and a smile and she looked back over to Alphard.

"I don't technically have to be in school so I suppose I'm available whenever you'd like… um, that isn't tonight or tomorrow. I'm tired."

He bowed his head. "Of course. May I run a quick diagnostic spell on your core for my own peace of mind?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, fine with me."

He waved for her to lie down again and she did so quickly, adjusting herself to the typical position needed for these spells. It took him only a moment to wave his wand over her and when he was done, there was silence. She glanced up at him in confusion to find an utterly shocked look on his face. "Is something wrong?"

He blinked, looking at her. "Your… core, it has… _expanded_."

"Expanded?" Sirius cut in. "That's not possible."

"Thus my shocked face," he shot back at his nephew. His eyes drifted back to Adelaide. "Your typical magical core typically rests near your heart and is usually just about the same size, yes?"

She paused. "Yes..?"

"Well, _your_ core used to be like that," he told her. "It was one of the tests I ran that day. Just a typical scan for the papers. Now…"

"Now?" She asked, growing impatient. He tapped his foot nervously.

"Your core is the size of your entire body," he winced.

The room fell silent.

"You're safe," he assured her. "It's stable."

Adelaide wondered vaguely if she was genuinely dreaming.

Xx

The otter swam in circles in front of her and she smiled at it as it moved. It had been out for a full hour and still she wasn't feeling tired from it.

"Merlin," Leon muttered. "Aren't you going to get sick of that?"

She glanced up. "No."

"I brought you that book," he told her. "Breaking into the Manor was terrifyingly easy, though you'd probably have been pulverized by the wards if you'd tried."

"Cheery." She took the book from him and flipped through to the page she knew she needed. It was one she'd read before, but she didn't know the exact wording off the top of her mind. "Thanks for going back there for me."

"It wasn't an issue," he told her, waving off her thanks. "What are you working on? This is a pretty dark book."

She raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I haven't read the entire Black library in Grimmauld Place?"

He blinked in surprise. "I… suppose I forgot you had access to one of their libraries. Theirs is even darker than ours."

"Yeah, it was really helpful with the horcruxes," she muttered as she turned the page carefully. Her otter had moved over to Leon and swam around his head slowly, gaining a reluctant smile from the boy. "What I _don't _understand is the potion…" she frowned heavily. "Harry would be quite helpful right now."

"What potion?"

Both Adelaide and Leon turned in surprise to find Regulus walking into the otherwise empty common room. It was a Hogsmeade day and all of the other students had decided to go explore the grounds or the castle, leaving the common room unexpectedly empty.

"Just one that we- well, Harry, encountered. I know it'll come up again and I need to know how to heal someone after they've taken it," she told him as he walked over. He put his hand up near her otter and the whispy animal shot over to him and stayed by him, refusing to move to Adelaide or Leon, much to Adelaide's surprise.

"What potion is it?"

She shook her head. "No, it was taken. They didn't get the name of it."

"Why did they take a potion they didn't know?" Regulus frowned. She rolled her head back.

"Reg, I never knew much about you but I _did_ know that this is something you did. Experienced. You did something that has to do with something we did in the future and I just- I don't know what I can actually tell you," she explained with a frown. Slowly, her otter faded away as her mood dropped, remembering how Regulus had died in that cave.

"_No_," she thought to herself. "_I refuse_."

"Addy?" He asked, sitting next to her. She glanced to Leon for help but he had already busied himself with a book that she was certain he wasn't even reading. "What is it?"

"Stop," she shook her head, standing. Her mind was a mess as she looked at her friend, who was just a young boy, and thought of his death.

In seven years.

"No," she said aloud, panic gripping at her heart. Her own voice startled her and she tapped her foot. Regulus frowned up at her darkly.

"Addy, do- Merlin. Do I die?"

"No."

"Merlin's sake, Granger," Leon spoke up. "You're an awful liar, why did you attempt that?"

She scowled at him before sitting down next to a firm looking Regulus. "Thing is, I know how it happens. And it's not like they- god. They didn't find you. They just have a vague idea of what happened, and they never saw you again. So I think I can save you."

"This potion," he waved to her book after a long, agonizing moment. "Does it kill?"

"Um," she shook her head. "No, I don't think so. It… basically you have to drink the potion to be able to take the item in the bowl. The potion, as far as Harry could tell, is like a- a torture potion. Torture of the mind and body."

"But it didn't kill him?"

She glanced to Leon. "The man that drank the potion… he didn't die. They made it back and he was somewhat sick but-,"

"But he was killed by someone else almost immediately," Leon interrupted her. "So we don't know."

Regulus looked at them. "Is this another… thing?"

Adelaide hesitated, but Leon waved her on. "He was ordered to kill this man as punishment for his father's failure. And he disarmed the man, and then his godfather killed the man for him."

"Merlin."

"Yeah, that was the same night I hurt her," Leon sighed. "It was a shitty fucking year."

"Being _petrified_ was better than that year," Adelaide agreed tiredly.

"You were _petrified_?" Regulus asked with wide eyes. She sighed.

"Basilisks are not nice creatures."

"Can we get back to the part where I don't die," he requested in an exhausted tone. She nodded.

"I need to find the potion so I know how to heal you after we finish." Her eyes lit up. "Or! Or, I could take the potion instead of you and-,"

"No," he interrupted. "Definitely not."

She sighed. She didn't know where the cave was, Harry did. And so would Regulus. She could only hope he'd take her with him to help him. "Alright. Well, I think I've got the right potion… maybe. Now I just have to find a way to heal you afterwards."

"You can do it," Leon spoke up from his book. "If anyone can, I'd say it's the girl that brewed Polyjuice potion in her second year."

Regulus stared at her.

"I'll tell you all about my time at Hogwarts and afterwards when I'm not worrying about your life," she rolled her eyes. "To be fair, I brewed it because I thought _you_ were the Heir of Slytherin."

"The _Heir of Slytherin_?"

Leon rolled his eyes. "Yes, I was an evil Slytherin and so obviously I was controlling a giant monster trying to make it eat all muggleborns."

"'You'll be next, mudbloods.'"

Both boys looked at her in shock. She raised an eyebrow back. "It's what he said to me."

Leon's eyes widened. "I _did_?"

She nodded.

"Merlin, you sound like an asshole," Regulus muttered. Adelaide smacked his arm and he just shrugged, plucking the book from her lap.

"I wonder how much… I said to you and forgot," Leon sighed. "I'm sorry."

She waved it off. "I had a really bad year that year. Everything you said felt so… personal. I remember all of it. I don't blame you for not doing the same."

"Why was your year so awful?" He asked her. She blinked in surprise and he looked back at his book, feigning disinterest.

"My parents," she explained. "We've had a strained relationship since I came to Hogwarts. Ever since I was little they told me I could go to whatever school I wanted… they regretted it. They refused to flat out tell me I wasn't allowed to go, though they nearly did before fifth year."

"Even _my_ parents almost moved me in fifth year," Leon agreed. "I can see how that would be hard, though. They have no rights in the Wizarding World, even if you're hurt."

She nodded. "I understood their feelings, but I already had Harry and-," she cut off as she always did when mentioning her friend that had died. "And they were distant anyways. I didn't mind being away from home so much or spending holidays with the Weasleys."

"Give me more characteristics of the potion," Regulus asked, interrupting. She blinked and thought back to the weekend when she and Harry had sat with a pensieve and shared memories.

"It was clear. Could only be scooped out with the cup provided. Close to water consistency. I'd guess it didn't taste good but I can't tell you how so."

Regulus hummed. "I think this one in the back of the book," he told her. "Just modified. This is a plain torture potion. I'm sure it's possible to modify it to have such restrictions as the scoop."

She grinned at him, waving her hand at the potion recipe and then tapping it on a parchment where it was copied over. "Thank you, Reg."

"We're still doing Occlumency?"

"How about now?" She suggested. "Draco can return this book. Or go drinking again."

Leon's eyes lit up. "If there's alcohol involved…"

She rolled her eyes at him as he snatched the book from Regulus and strolled out of the room.

"Are you worried?"

He glanced at her, startled by the question. "I am. Not because I doubt you but rather because I don't want to know the specifics of my death. If it is to happen, I don't wish to have prior knowledge."

She nodded slowly. "I understand that. But also… if you know, as you do, you can prepare for it."

He shrugged. "There's nothing we can do about it now."

The two resumed their typical position of sitting across from each other on the couch and began the session.

Adelaide had learned how to put up walls over the memories herself, but she'd noticed that it was always stronger when he helped her and so she had him help whenever he could.

They had finished her first year and were to the beginning of her second already. She'd found Occlumency to be extremely therapeutic and he'd enjoyed the stories so far.

They stopped their session that day when he saw the encounter she'd mentioned earlier and had gotten so angry he'd pulled abruptly from her mind, giving her an immediate headache.

"Did he _always_ treat you like that?" He asked, his fists clenched. She shrugged.

"Not always. We became friends in fourth year. Until then… yeah. It's not a big deal. I know he regrets it."

Regulus stared at her. "You _cried_."

She blinked. "Really? I had no clue."

"I just mean-,"

"I _know_," she promised him. His frustration was visible and while she appreciated it, she didn't want him to dislike the Draco she now knew because of it. "Can I show you another memory? It's… important."

He took in a breath to calm himself. "Sure."

As soon as they fell into the new memory, she winced. It was not her finest night.

_Hermione Granger sat in a familiar classroom in her beautiful pink dress, pulling aggressively at her hair, trying to pull out the pins and bits and bobs in there holding it all together. Even after cancelling the stasis charm it was damn near impossible. _

_She glanced up as the door banged open and froze. "Oh, um…"_

"_Granger, have you been _crying_?" Draco asked, closing the door gently behind him. He was an arse but he'd already seen five other girls crying in public and he wouldn't be the one to put another crying girl on show, no matter what he thought of her. _

_She wiped hard at her tears and shrugged off the question. "What are you doing in here? The party is downstairs."_

_He blinked back. "I needed a moment of quiet. It seems you did as well."_

_She nodded once. "Now that I've had it…" she stood, brushing her dress to the side and made for the door. Upon twisting the doorknob, it disappeared, leaving the door completely one with the wall. The windowless room made her panic as she turned in a circle. "I'm going to _murder _them!"_

"_Fuck," Draco muttered, coming to stand next to her as she rested her back against the door and slid down to sit on the stone floor. "It was those bloody twins, wasn't it?"_

"_Who else would preemptively play a prank on classroom doors? Best case scenario, they catch a couple snogging. Worst case, they get detention from a teacher for locking everyone inside."_

"_And in the middle there is when we strangle them for locking us in here," Draco added, sliding to the floor now as well. She let her head rest against the door, her eyes closing. She could feel the pins in her hair and, without opening her eyes, reached up to begin tearing at them again with no care for Draco sitting next to her. "Granger, what the hell? You're going to injure yourself!"_

_She shot him a dark look. "I let Parvati do my hair because I don't do this… this! And now there are pins probably imbedded into my skull and I cancelled one spell but I swear there must be others and _I can't get my damn hair down_!"_

_He cautiously grabbed her wrist to pull it away from her head. Instinctively, she reached out and tried to hit him from being so startled by the touch. He blocked the punch and the pair sat still for a moment as she relaxed. "You punched me once - not again."_

_The memory made a small smile slip onto her lips. "That was a good day."_

_He narrowed his eyes but didn't reply. "Did you try finite incantatum?"_

_She froze. "Oh my god…"_

_Laughing quietly at her, he pulled his wand and pointed it at her head. As soon as he cast the counter-curse, her hair deflated ever so slightly. Before she could dig into her hair again, he began gently picking out the pins from her head. She sat in silence as he worked, feeling the anxiety leave her while the tension left her head as well. It took nearly twenty minutes of silent working, but finally he leaned back against the desk nearby and looked at her. _

"_It's slightly… _flatter _than usual, but there are no more pins."_

"_Thanks… Draco."_

_He winced. "We should figure a way out."_

_There was a beat of silence. _

"_Why do you hate me?"_

"_You couldn't have left it alone?" He asked, frustrated. "Just pretend for a minute that I'm not me and you're not you?"_

"_Except that we are," she told him firmly. "You're Draco Malfoy and I'm Hermione Granger and we're very different people and that's _fine_. But why do you have to hate me so much?"_

"_Because you're-,"_

"_A mudblood." He winced and she tilted her head. "Is it harder to hear, or say, because it's just you and me now?"_

"_You're just different," he reasoned. _

"_Yeah, _okay_. Sure. I'm different from you. I have brown, curly hair and yours is blonde and straight. My eyes are dark brown and yours are… silver," she paused. "I've never looked at your eyes this closely before. Huh."_

"_I see the point you're trying to make but it's not just that."_

"_Okay. Our _blood_. That's different?"_

"_Exactly."_

_Her eyes flashed with something that startled him. It was not the night to test her, not after the mess with Krum and Ron. At least one idiot would be set straight. She picked up her wand and pointed it at her thigh, the closest showing skin. "_Diffindo_!" Her thigh split open just a little bit, thought it was long enough and deep enough to begin bleeding immediately. "Does this look different from your blood?"_

_Draco stared at her in horror and shock as she let her leg bleed freely. "That's… you just-,"_

"_Answer me, Draco! Is our blood the same?"_

"_Yes!"_

_She sighed out in relief and quickly healed up her leg. There was a light scar already, though she didn't mind it. "Your family is pure in its line, yes?"_

"_Of course."_

_With a nod, she leaned back. "Your mother was a Black, and her sister Bellatrix married into the Lestrange family. Funnily enough, your aunt Andromeda, she married a muggleborn man named Ted and had a daughter, Nymphadora Tonks. They were disowned. She's still your aunt. _

"_Your cousin, Sirius Black, fought his mother his entire life and refused to be Head of the House of Black because of what it stood for. He was tortured at sixteen and disowned when he refused to join Voldemort. _He is still your cousin_. _

"_Your- Merlin, I don't know how he's related to you. Alphard. He helped Sirius, he openly despised everything the House of Black stood for and did his own thing. He was never relevant enough to be disowned, but he had to make his own money when his father refused to marry him off or give him an inheritance. _

"_You might say that this is the Black family I'm talking about and you're right. But they're your family, too. Your family is only pure because they get rid of anyone that disagrees with them. Don't be like that, Draco."_

_He was silent as he looked at her, processing for a ten minute period that felt more like an hour. "How do you know all of this?"_

_Her lips twitched. "I've done research. And a man with special knowledge on the issue told me."_

"_You know where Black is."_

_She narrowed her eyes. "There's no proof of that."_

"_He's wanted for murder."_

"_Murders he didn't commit," she snapped back. "He did nothing he was accused of."_

_Draco sighed, rubbing his temples. "My father expects things of me."_

"_In a perfect world where he didn't matter, what would you say to me right now?"_

_He hesitated, keeping eye contact as he formed his thoughts. "I'd say… maybe we are the same."_

_She breathed out in surprise. She hadn't honestly expected to get through to him. "Really?"_

"_My father told me a lot of things and I just… sort of believed them. Maybe he lied to me. Or maybe his father did the same, I don't know."_

_She smiled slightly at him. "I appreciate that."_

"_I can't… be your friend," he told her firmly. "My father expects many things of me and to maintain 'perfect friendships' is one of them."_

"_I know."_

"_I would… I would, however, like to talk. Occasionally. In… private."_

_She let out a laugh. "You'd like to be friends in private."_

"_I suppose."_

"_I'd appreciate that," she told him. "You're brilliant when you aren't arguing with Harry or yelling at me. Slytherins have the best test scores of the school, did you know?"_

_He let out a short laugh. "I did, actually. Um… about the other week-,"_

"_Forget it," she told him, turning away as her cheeks reddened, thinking of her previously cursed teeth. "I'm fine now."_

_They sat in a somewhat awkward silence for a few minutes as she cast a diagnostic spell on the door and then a few others to try and fix it. When nothing happened, she leaned back again. _

"_Why were you crying?"_

_She blinked, startled by the question. "What?"_

"_When I came in, you were crying."_

_She bit her lip. "It's just… some friend drama, nothing really."_

"_I've never seen you cry. Not when I called you cruel names or hexed you. Just tonight."_

_Sighing, she shrugged. "I had a wonderful night with Krum. He's a gentleman. More of a… friend, really, but he's very kind. And Ron was so jealous the entire time that he sat there glaring at us and yelled at me as I went to leave."_

_Draco's eyes darkened in a similar way as they did the time Harry had hexed Theo Nott's pants off and the time Ron had flat out tried to punch Blaise Zabini. Both were nice people and neither had ever been cruel to them, but they were friends with Draco and therefore fair play to her boys. "Weasley is…"_

"_As dumb as a flying squirrel on drugs," she replied. The thought made her smile a little but her new friend just stared at her in wonder. _

"_A _what_?" _

_She giggled. "A flying squirrel is a muggle animal and drugs are… well, like healing potions but for fun."_

_Draco shook his head, blinking. "The muggle world is a wonder."_

_She didn't answer as she fell back into thought. The night certainly hadn't gone as planned, but she appreciated the turn it took. She'd always thought Draco could be a good person, but when he'd attacked her so much in second year, she'd assumed he'd never actually become that person. _

_And now, even in secret, he was. _

_It took her another thirty minutes before she even realized she could use her Patronus for messages. She stood suddenly and cast the spell, smiling happily at the sight of her otter. "To the twins. Get to the transfiguration classroom _right now _or I will hex off your bollocks."_

_The otter swam out through the door and she breathed a sigh of relief. Draco, however, stared at her. "Was that a Patronus?"_

_She nodded. "Harry learned it last year so I went to Remus and asked him to teach me as well."_

"'_Remus.'"_

_She blushed. "He's best friends with Sirius and they both stayed in touch with me. I was officially the one that saved Sirius and he wanted to stay close."_

_Draco nodded a little. "That makes sense. He owes you a life debt, after all."_

_Her eyes narrowed. "He does not!"_

_The door behind them disappeared completely and the pair fell down onto their backs, having been leaning on it. Above them was Fred, who raised an eyebrow at Hermione. _

"_Draco and Hermione, sitting in a tree-,"_

_She pointed her wand up at him impulsively from her spot on the floor. "_Obliviate_!" _

_The boy slumped to the ground and she winced as his head hit the hard stone. She felt Draco staring at her in wonder as she rushed over and pressed her wand to Fred's forehead. "You came down to free me. I yelled at you and threatened you again before I stomped off and hexed you as I left. It knocked you out."_

_She sighed in relief as she saw the right memories in his head be erased and replaced and pulled her wand away to look at Draco. "He shouldn't wake for another five minutes or so."_

"_I should go."_

"_Let's meet in that hidden room behind the garden tapestry on the seventh floor," she suggested. "Every Wednesday."_

"_Okay."_

_She offered him a smile. "Thanks for listening." He gave her a small nod and she began walking away, her small clutch held tightly in her hand. As she reached the end of the corridor, she was stopped by a hand on her arm. She spun to find Draco looking at her with a heavy frown. _

"_I'm sorry."_

_Her smile was her only response as she continued walking. It wasn't okay, but she felt like it might be._

Regulus and Adelaide tumbled out of her memory and onto the couch in the common room, staring at each other.

"He apologized… once."

She frowned at him. "He meant it. And he still apologizes, four years later, _constantly_."

"Have you forgiven him?" Regulus asked her. It was a question she'd been wondering too.

"I don't… think I have yet," she admitted quietly. "But I also love him and cherish his friendship. There are things I haven't quite forgiven Harry for, and he's my brother."

"I can understand that," Regulus nodded slowly, because he still hadn't forgiven Sirius for not even trying to write him until Adelaide had gotten involved after Christmas the year before.

She gave him a smile and rested her head on the back of the couch. "I've had a lot in my life… I'm not too concerned with Draco's issues in the past. He's my friend now."

"Severus said he laughed when he appeared."

She narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, that's because he's a little shit."

Xx

"Again."

Adelaide scowled as she picked out the correct doors and said their numbers aloud. After that, she Apparated from one spot to directly across from there. Once she'd done that, she stood and held a full body Auror's shield for ten minutes with no power drain.

"Alright, you're done," Alphard called out to her. She dropped her hands to her side and rolled her neck.

"Can I have my wand back now?"

He shrugged. "You don't need it. You didn't even before the power change."

"It's mine," she defended. "And it's some of the last memories of the future that I've got."

"You have an entire person to remind you of the future," he laughed as he wrote out some of the papers for her. "Is he not enough?"

She rolled her eyes. "Sometimes I can't go two seconds without him getting on my nerves. Others, he's the only person I want to be around."

"I suppose by the look on your face, he's not your favorite right now?"

"No, not really."

Alphard hummed and slid her wand over to her. "All of your tests are coming up the same as they would for any normal witch… your power is acting as normal, even the new power. Your spells aren't overpowered and not dangerous. Your shield is certainly stronger, significantly so, though that's common in veterans."

She started. "What?"

"Your shield-,"

She shook her head. "No, it's just- you called me a _veteran_."

He frowned. "Aren't you?"

She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"You're not just some kid that fought a war," he told her gently. "From what you've told me, you fought and did your best and earned the title."

"It's just hard, y'know, since our school years had so much danger in them to think that now I'm considered a veteran. And… I suppose that the war is really over."

He frowned at her. "Maybe the war, for you and your friends, started a lot sooner than it did for everyone else."

"Maybe."

Xx

Christmas came in a rush. Adelaide had grown bored with going to occasional classes and had instead skipped them altogether in favor of coming and going from Hogwarts to do her business. She'd tried to figure out where the cave was after Regulus broke the news to her that the potion they'd found wasn't the right one because half of the ingredients had disappeared over two hundred years ago, but since she'd only seen a moment of the cave in a memory from Harry, her apparition had dropped her in the middle of the sea. She'd cast as many warming charms as she could and had transfigured seaweed into a small boat to stay afloat. A fisherman had saved her and she'd apparated straight off of his boat as soon as he wasn't looking.

The train ride to King's Cross was tiring as she laid on a bench in her own empty compartment doing research while her friends occasionally came to check on her. By the time they reached the station, nothing had been accomplished and she was exhausted.

She separated from Severus, Lily, and Leon as she walked with Sirius and Regulus to Orion Black, who had come to pick them up. Upon seeing him and not their mother, Sirius frowned and rushed over.

"Is she dead?"

Orion smacked the back of his head. "Your mother is ill. Nothing life threatening, but we will be staying in Black Manor."

"With grandfather?" Regulus asked, surprised. Orion nodded. Adelaide glanced over at Severus, who was standing with his mother, wrapped in a firm hug.

"I can go with Severus if you'd prefer that," she suggested, not wanting to intrude.

Orion's eyes fell on her and he shook his head once. "It would be rude. I'm sure Arcturus would love to meet you."

She nodded with a forced smile and grabbed Sirius's hand and then Regulus's as they waded through the crowd toward the floo. It was to be a long Christmas, but she had her boys. Or at least two of them.

Xx

"What I don't understand," Adelaide commented, vanishing her nail polish with a wave of her hand. Her wand was in her own room, and she was currently curled up in a comfy chair in Sirius's room. Both boys were relaxed on the bed while she read nearby. They'd spent most of Christmas Eve like that, simply relaxing. Her voice caught their attention, and she continued speaking as the last of the pink color vanished from her nails. "Is why you were there that night."

Sirius's eyes widened. "Uncle Alphard really didn't tell you?"

She shook her head.

"I was there because apparently, in the future, I owe you a life debt."

She turned her eyes on the younger brother. "Regulus!"

"I had no choice!" He argued. "And obviously Magic agreed or I'd have lost my magic!"

She breathed out in frustration. "Why did it matter if you owe me a life debt? I've told you a million times in the future. I'm never going to call on it."

Sirius shook his head. "Life debts, apparently, work through time. So if I owe you one in the future, I sort of owe you one now. Or at least, I can repay it now."

"Okay, fine, but what does that have to do with anything?" she asked, irritated. She hated talking about the life debt because she'd only saved him for Harry. She felt guilty claiming debt for something she ultimately did for someone else.

"Because, Uncle Alphard wasn't sure the Veil would work," Regulus told her. "He needed a way to bring you back if it killed you."

"If it… killed me?" her eyes narrowed in on the younger brother. "He put me through that Veil of Death - that's its name in the future - without knowing if I'd survive?"

The boy held her gaze firmly, which was rather impressive. "If he hadn't tried, you would've died otherwise."

She set the matter aside to bring up with the man himself later on and ran her fingers through her hair. "I hate life debts."

"The point is," Sirius spoke up. "That if you die, I can bring you back. I already made the vow."

"So… that's one down," she nodded firmly. "Good."

"_One_?"

Adelaide winced slightly. "It was war, and you refused to stay behind while we did what we needed to. Greyback tried to rip your throat out so I slammed him against a wall. He died and you were safe."

The boys fell silent and she blinked, slowly realizing what she'd said.

"Addy…" Sirius muttered. She rolled her head back and sucked in a deep breath.

"Sometimes… I forget that you're not the thirty seven year old man I knew before I left," she admitted with a nervous laugh. "And that you're a kid."

Sirius shook his head. "You've got a lot of dark stuff in your head, huh?" At her short nod, Regulus slid off of the bed and moved to sit next to her on the fairly large chair, taking her hand within his own.

"You can tell us."

"You guys already know that the war is coming soon," she sighed. "And it's not something that anyone can avoid. I don't wanna… expose you to those things before you naturally find them."

"What about your Occlumency?" Regulus pointed out. She hesitated.

"Things don't get really bad until my sixth year. Fifth, really, but it could've been worse. I just…" she looked down at her hands with a frown. "I don't wanna give you things, worries, you don't need. It's all over anyways."

"You don't have to tell us anything," Sirius told her. "But you always can."

"Thanks."

Xx

"We have a few questions for you," Orion told her as he led her to the study. She'd still not met Arcturus quite yet, and her nerves were high as they approached the large, beautiful room. "Try and relax, Adelaide. We're on your side."

It was odd to hear after years of assuming he'd been an evil man, but she found herself nodding as they entered the room. The man at the desk looked almost exactly the same as Orion, though he'd begun greying where Orion's hair was still a sleek black.

"This is our young Miss Snape," Arcturus nodded at the chairs in front of his desk and they both sat, Adelaide somewhat nervously. "I'm glad we're getting the chance to speak."

"As am I," she replied, a smile slipping onto her lips as she forced herself to relax. "Orion tells me you've got some questions."

"Yes," he confirmed. "I am aware of your rather unique situation, and beyond that, you seem to be a particularly bright girl."

"Thank you, sir."

"Alphard tells me you've got knowledge of the upcoming war."

She blinked in surprise. "You've spoken to Alphard?"

Arcturus nodded. "He came to me after your visit to the DOM."

She couldn't help but feel somewhat betrayed. She'd been unaware that what she said was being relayed to the Black Patriarch, though she supposed it made sense. "I'm not sure how much I can tell you. I've done research into how the first war went, so I know more than most people my age, but we can't change the future. It has to happen the way it happened or the consequences could be dire."

Arcturus actually laughed, shocking her. "Yes, I've received the same speech from my nephew. Time is fragile and not to be messed with. Unless, of course, you're a peculiar nineteen year old girl… or twelve, in this moment."

She laughed. "I apologize. My friends learned some disturbing things about the future - 1998 - and they wanted to change it. It took hours to convince them they couldn't."

"Ah." His eyes darkened. "I assume that would be the scar on your arm."

Adelaide's eyes sharpened on him. "Excuse me?"

"Our house elves, of course, report to me when the people in my house bring dark magic in. I was told that you've got a scar that radiates dark magic."

"It… does? I thought it just was incurable…"

He nodded slowly. "How did you get it?"

She shook her head. "I think this is one of the things you can't know, sir. It has to do with… someone you know."

The man was certainly not dumb, and he narrowed his eyes. "Did someone in my house give you that?"

She thought back to whether Bellatrix was married yet or not. Unfortunately for her, she was nearly certain the wedding was set for summer solstice and therefore the woman was not yet married. "Yes."

"Who was it?" the man stared at her firmly, and she almost wondered if he was trying to use Legilimency. She didn't feel anything in her mind, and she was confident in her shields, but she also knew that a large portion of her mind was unprotected still and that a good Legilimens could look unnoticed.

"It can't be changed."

"I know that."

Adelaide ran her fingers through her hair as her mind drifted back to that day. It was always hard to think about, and it made her shiver just to close her eyes and see it, but finally she met his gaze and took in a deep breath. "It was Bellatrix, sir."

He didn't reply, though his jaw was set firmly and his silver eyes shifted.

"May we see it?" Orion requested. "Perhaps we can help you."

She sighed. "It's been looked at by a curse breaker. He said it couldn't be healed aside from eventually closing up."

"Tell us what she did," Orion told her gently. "We know a lot of dark magic. Perhaps it is something widely unknown but that we can fix."

She bit her lip. "I don't really… perhaps if I gave you the memory?"

Arcturus gave her an apologetic smile. "Our pensieve is at Grimmauld Place. Walburga requested it months ago."

She hesitated. "Regulus has been helping me with my Occlumency… I'd be okay with using Legilimency."

"If you are certain," Arcturus smiled. "I am a Master Legilimens."

She leaned forward and nodded at him. She didn't need to focus to think of the event as it had already been playing through her mind since the conversation began. His eyes flashed the same way Regulus's always did and though she didn't feel his mind, she was thrown into her own and into the memory.

_Hermione was sprawled on the floor, twitching painfully. Her throat was raw from the screaming she'd been doing for hours, and she was barely able to suck in the air she'd been deprived of during the Cruciatus. Every time her muscles twitched, she moaned quietly. She could see Bellatrix nearby with two daggers in her hands, tilting her head as she looked at them. Hermione's gut twisted, and she felt more hot tears burn down her cheeks. _

_After an eternity, Bellatrix turned back to her, her twisted grin firm on her lips. She was giggling as she skipped back over, moving on top of Hermione until she was straddling her. She leaned over her and pressed her free arm on top of Hermione's, her hand holding the dagger moving over her forearm. _

"_If you won't tell me," the witch giggled. "I'll give you a little gift before I kill you slowly. I want you to see this before you go insane." _

_Hermione whimpered as the blade slowly began digging into her arm. _

_And the screams began again. _

_She saw it happening but did not understand it. She saw the magic flowing around the blade, lighting it up, but only wished to die as it burned her skin open and filled her arm with magic. _

_Bellatrix took her time digging the word into her arm and when she was done, she leaned back in satisfaction. "Beautiful." _

Both of them fell from her mind and she barely resisted the urge to curl in on herself. She couldn't help the way she was violently shaking, though, and she hated it as Orion looked at her in worry. It was a look she'd received from both of his sons before.

Arcturus's kind face had fallen and in place was a stone mask that made her nerves hitch.

"You did not mention," he said to Adelaide. "She tortured you before that as well."

Adelaide bit her lip hard, trying to stop the shaking in hopes her voice wouldn't shake. It didn't work. "It didn't seem… relevant."

"She tortured you?" Orion sounded exhausted. "How?"

"Cruciatus," Arcturus replied. His voice was flat and gave her no clue to how he was feeling, and his face didn't help either, to her immense frustration. "The better question is how long?"

"I don't know," she admitted quietly. "Hours. Six hours, maybe. My friends didn't know, either. Um… Leon might."

"Leon, that's your friend from the future?" Orion asked her with a frown. "Was he captured, too?"

She felt exhausted explaining it again. "No, he's- um, his name is actually Draco."

Orion recognized it immediately. "He's one of us?"

"He's a Malfoy," she explained. "His mother is a Black."

Arcturus understood. "You were in Malfoy Manor."

"Yeah… it was Easter. He was home from school. His father bound him and made him listen… we don't know how, but apparently he knew we were friends."

"I see why you'd want to be friends privately," Arcturus commented. "Regardless, the exact time is unimportant. She tortured you for hours and then scarred you with some of the oldest dark magic there is."

"There's nothing we can do," Adelaide told him. "She's dead. Tried to attack the wrong witch in the war and the girl's mother killed her for it."

"We can help you," the older man told her. "But not yet."

"Not… yet?"

He looked at her with a frown. "This sort of magic can only be removed by an ancient and noble House's Magic. You can't be brought into our House because you're already a member of the House of Snape."

"Not really, right?"

"Sarah Snape accepts you as her daughter," Orion explained. "Therefore, you're a part of that House."

"But how can you fix it?"

Arcturus hesitated. "As Patriarch, I have a certain… power. I can see who will be the strongest parts of the House, magic wise. I cannot say more than that you will enter our house, but not… yet."

"You can't tell me how?" she asked, bewildered.

"No."

She frowned and nodded, setting the issue aside for later thought. "As for your questions about the war, I will answer them, but so long as you take an Oath not to try and change anything."

He nodded once. "A wise move. I will take the oath."

"As will I," Orion told her.

The Oaths were quick and soon both men were waiting for her to begin. She bit her lip, considering what to tell them. "I will tell you this very bluntly… your House is going to fall."

Neither reacted at all.

"It's going to fall after being taken over by the incoming darkness. Many members will join Voldemort. Bellatrix has already done so. Walburga will try and force both Sirius and Regulus to join. She will torture Sirius sixth year Christmas until he's near death. I'm not sure how, but he ended up at the Potters and they took care of him. He said they adopted him, too. As for Regulus… he will join, though against his will. I'd guessed so in the future and after knowing him, I'm certain he didn't want to be there. Um… Regulus… I don't want to tell you this because we're actively working on changing it, but something happens when he's eighteen…" she shook her head. "Anyways, the war ends in '81 and doesn't begin again until '96."

"I appreciate this information," Arcturus told her. "I can use it to set up fail safes. I assume Sirius is fine in the future?"

She hesitated. "He's put in Azkaban for twelve years for crimes he didn't commit. He escapes in '93 but… it's a whole mess. He's been pardoned now, though the Ministry is still gathering itself and weeding out the Death Eaters. Once they're done, I'll be asking the Minister for retribution for his time in Azkaban."

"In 1998 he's a free man?" Arcturus clarified. She nodded, and he hummed. "I'll set up for the House Magic to go to him that year."

Her eyes widened. "Better set it for after July 31st."

"Why?"

"That's when I left," she explained. "And it hadn't transferred before then."

"Anything else we need to know?"

She hesitated. "Sirius has a godson. Harry Potter. He's an orphan."

Orion frowned. "James's son?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry," he told her, understanding.

"Anyway," she kept talking, refusing to dwell on her friend's eventual death. "Harry is set to inherit the Potter title, but I know Sirius and I'm certain he'll name Harry as his heir. Is that an issue?"

"When Sirius becomes Patriarch, he will know what to do," Arcturus told her, being purposely vague. "I have faith in him."

She nodded slowly. "Okay… um, I don't think there's anything else, then."

"Thank you," Arcturus nodded to her. "I've got a lot to do, but I'll make sure to leave the spell for Sirius. I assume he'll always be in your life, now or the future."

She smiled. "I hope so."

Xx

Adelaide stood in the shop feeling as overwhelmed as she had when she found out about the Yule Ball. She'd been taken to Madam Malkin's to find fitting dress robes for the next day, and she'd been left there by Sirius and Regulus, who had gone to find their father for family business in Gringott's.

And so she stood, staring at the dresses in horror.

"Are you alright, dear?" a gentle voice asked her. She turned around and was startled by the familiar woman in front of her.

"I- yes, I'm just overwhelmed," she replied.

"Addy?"

Her eyes lit up as a black mop of hair circled around the clothes to find her. "James!"

He grinned and hugged her. "You're still surviving with them. Where are they?"

She shrugged. "Family stuff at Gringott's."

"James, you're being rude," the woman scolded. "You've yet to introduce me to this nice young lady."

James blushed and nodded, stepping back so they could shake hands. "Addy, this is my mother, Dorea Potter. Mum, this is my friend I was telling you about, Adelaide Snape."

Dorea nodded firmly and shook Adelaide's hand. "Yes, James has told me all about you. You scammed your way into the Black household?"

Adelaide laughed. "I did."

"Anyone who can do that is alright in my book," Dorea chuckled. Her eyes slid to the dresses that Adelaide now had her back to and she hummed quietly. "Well, as you're here alone, I'll help you find your robes."

James grinned. "Does that mean she's coming?"

Dorea nodded. "Orion wrote me and asked if she could come. I've written her mother and invited them and young Miss Evans."

James's grin grew wider. "Cool!"

"You, young man, are expected to be just as well behaved as ever," Dorea told him firmly. "This is the first ball since your father's sickness. Now that he's better, we have to have the best ball ever."

James agreed easily and wrapped an arm around Adelaide. "It'll be great. You can stay after, too." His eyes turned into the puppy dog eyes he used when he wanted help with his charms essays and Dorea rolled her eyes.

"Of course your friends can stay the night. They can stay until school begins again, if you'd like."

"I'd love it!" he was nearly jumping up and down. "Oh, but Sirius probably won't be allowed."

Adelaide shook her head. "We're staying at Black Manor, actually. Apparently Walburga is sick, so she's staying at Grimmauld Place alone until she's better."

"So he can!" James laughed excitedly. "And Regulus, too."

"I'll send Lily a Patronus for her to meet me here in an hour," Adelaide suggested.

"You can cast a Patronus?" Dorea blinked in surprise. Adelaide shifted, understanding her mistake.

"Yeah, I, um-,"

"She's special, mum," James nudged his mother. "She can do a lot."

Dorea looked her over. "Yes, I suppose she is."

"Maybe we should get to the robes," Adelaide suggested. "If I'm going to meet Lily later, I'd rather focus on her than myself."

Dorea let her shift the attention and for the next hour, the three of them worked on finding fitting robes for the two children. It took James the entire hour while Adelaide found hers within fifteen minutes, with Dorea's guidance.

Eventually, Lily arrived with Severus and Leon, and then they began their search. Dorea left the kids to do their shopping once Orion came back with Sirius and Regulus, and Orion left to have lunch with the woman to catch up. Unlike his wife, he had respect for the Potter matriarch, and since finding out his son would one day be adopted by her, he wanted to ensure there would be no tension between the two of them.

"Oh my god, I thought she was going to destroy me," Adelaide sighed in relief. "She's suspicious."

Sirius shrugged. "Dorea's a safe person, you wouldn't have had issues if you told her."

"I'm more concerned about the number of people that know," she explained. "I never meant for you guys to figure it out, not to mention Alphard and now Orion and Arcturus. For god's sake, Arcturus has been inside my head now. He's a Master Legilimens, and while I generally trust him, I'm not naive enough to think he trusted me at that moment."

Both Black boys stared at her. Regulus grabbed her arm as she tried to move away with the rest of their friends through the shop, leaving just the three of them in the back.

"Adelaide, _why_ would you do that?" the boy hissed at her. She frowned.

"He needed information I could only give in form of a memory. He said the pensieve was at Grimmauld Place."

Sirius's mouth thinned. "We've got one in each house, kitten."

She froze. "What?"

"Arcturus is a flawed man," Sirius told her. "You shouldn't have let him in your head. You don't know what he looked at."

"I would've felt it though, right?" she glanced at Regulus, who looked incredibly frustrated. "When you do it, I have to guide you to the memories. When Bellatrix did, she riffled through them. It hurt."

"No, you wouldn't feel it," he told her. Her stomach dropped, and she sucked in a deep breath as he continued. "It's how he knows so much. He uses old magic, very old magic that, when it comes in contact with someone's mind, shows him their life, essentially."

"But he asked me questions," she argued weakly. "He didn't know things."

"He knows everything," the boy told her sharply. "He knows everything about everyone, _always_. No matter how much you think he didn't know, he knows everything about your past, present, and your future."

Sirius nodded firmly. "I doubt he's got bad intentions, but… it's still very dangerous. He keeps those memories in vials labelled by name. It's so dangerous, Addy."

She swore quietly, feeling sick. "All of that information, it has the potential to… to change so much. And he knows… oh my god."

"Maybe you should go back with James tonight," Sirius suggested.

"Why?" James asked. All three of them jumped hard, and James blinked at them. "What happened?"

"My horrible grandfather looked through all of her memories," Regulus spat. "And he took them and is holding them in a vial to watch whenever he wants."

"Fuck," James whispered. "I'll ask mum if everyone can come over tonight instead."

"That's a little dramatic," Addy sighed.

"No, not really," the boy replied. "Orion would probably be suspicious if only you left early."

"Oh."

"Adelaide, do you think green would look okay?"

Addy glanced over at Lily, who was holding up a bright green dress and couldn't help but make a face. "Um… probably not, Lils."

The girl deflated. "Help."

Xx

Sirius, Regulus, Leon, and Adelaide went home with James that night. Severus went back to grab his things and met with them later on, while Sirius, Regulus, and Adelaide's things were sent to them by Orion, who had a House Elf bring them over.

Arriving at Potter Manor had been a shock. It was bigger than Malfoy Manor and it was much more beautiful, too. Adelaide glanced at Leon. "Yours is smaller than his."

"Mine is the home of bigots, so it can burn for all I care," he replied, striding past her to follow James. She sighed and sped up as they entered the house.

A pop sounded and Adelaide didn't even have time to investigate before her jacket was ripped off of her shoulders along with her scarf. "H-hey!" She gasped.

"Miffy takes your things, yes she does," the small elf said, snapping her fingers. Adelaide's mouth fell open as her luggage disappeared from her hands now as well, leaving her empty handed. She watched as the elf did the same to everyone else in amazing speeds, though no one else batted an eye at it.

"That elf is tiny! And fast! And… pushy!" She managed as she caught up with her friends.

"Rather sounds like you, Granger," Leon shot back at her. She smacked the back of his head and he grunted. "Only proving my point."

Sirius, who was openly laughing ahead of them, suddenly got hit with a charm that vanished all of his hair.

"Hey!" He yelled. "Give that back!"

James burst into laughed. "I dunno, mate, you look _great_."

"I swear to Merlin, I'll make your life hell if you don't return me my hair!"

She winked at him and walked past him into the room ahead of them. She was greeted with a sight so similar to Gryffindor common room that it made her horribly homesick immediately. "Oh."

"Hello, dear," Dorea smiled from the large. Overstuffed couch that was placed in front of the huge fireplace. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I-,"

"Adelaide!" Regulus squeaked. She recognized the tone - it was one she had heard from Harry in times of danger over the years and especially on the run. She dropped to the ground immediately and narrowly avoided a hex aimed for her back. As soon as she was on her feet, her wand was pointed at Sirius's bald head.

"_Why_ did you think you could do that?" She scoffed. "To me of all people."

"I would've if Regulus hadn't said your name!"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but he did. Either way, I know more magic than you do. I guarantee I could've reversed whatever dim witted hex you threw at me."

"Give me my hair back!" He yelled, stomping his foot for a childish effect. She just stared.

"Sirius Orion," Dorea interrupted, covering her laugh. "You do not yell at a lady and you certainly do not curse her. Behave. Tell me what happened… Regulus."

Sirius pouted at the woman but obeyed her as Regulus spoke. "Leon made fun of Addy and she got upset because Sirius laughed, so she hexed his hair off. He threatened her, she ignored it, and then he tried to hex her with her back turned."

Dorea raised an eyebrow. "Thank you, Regulus."

"James!"

Adelaide glanced over in time to see James toss himself at a tall man as he entered the room. The similarities were softer than between Sirius and Orion. In all honesty, James looked more like his mother, though he looked enough like his father that she recognized Charlus immediately.

Charlus ruffled James's hair affectionately. "Tell me what's been going on."

"Sirius is bald!"

Charlus glanced over and let out a laugh. "So he is. Your work, I assume?"

"Actually," Dorea interrupted. "Miss Adelaide did it. It seems he was laughing at her."

"I was laughing at Leon's joke!" Sirius defended.

Adelaide narrowed her eyes. "Which made fun of me."

"No, it _described_ you," Leon corrected. "Get it right."

Regulus grabbed her wrist when she moved to hex his hair off, too.

"What do you say we find Sirius's hair? I bet there's cookies along the way," Charlus grinned, winking at them. That diffused the tension quickly, and everyone was diverted to the kitchen where they were given snickerdoodle cookies in the shape of a Christmas tree.

Later that night, Severus arrived with his and Leon's things, and nearly ten minutes later, Remus and Peter also arrived, surprising everyone except for James, who blushed.

"I forgot."

As soon as the pair arrived, Adelaide quietly excused herself to her room, unable to stand being near Peter. It was easy enough to avoid at school, being in a different House, but staying with James… it was harder to pretend he didn't get their friend killed in the future.

She laid back on the bed, fighting a losing battle against the tears dripping from her eyes. Soon enough, they were falling freely and she felt her mind drift to everyone else that would die or suffer.

Sirius. James. Lily. Remus. Regulus. Severus. Even Marlene, she knew, would die.

She was stuck and had grown to love these people so dearly… and still, she'd lose nearly all of them. Her only comfort was Draco, though he'd fallen into a mood that only concerned her.

They were alone and surrounded by people that they couldn't help… and it tore her apart.

Xx

"You're useless."

"It's not my fault," Adelaide snapped back. "You know how I feel about flying."

"Yeah, and it's stupid," Leon told her. "You've been a part of the wizarding world for what, nine years? And you still can't accept prophecies or flying to be normal."

She scowled as she propped the broom against the wall. "You're only complaining because you got stuck on the same team as me. Besides, most prophecies are self-fulfilling, like the one about Harry and Voldemort - Stop flinching, he's _dead_ \- and it's unnatural to be a hundred feet in the air with a stick between you and death."

"Maybe if you learned how to fly-,"

"You don't know how to fly?" James asked her in shock, strolling up to them. He was sweaty, so much so that his hair was almost dripping. She made a face of disgust as she dodged the sweat that flew off of him when he shook his head like a dog.

"I know how, but I hate it."

"You _don't _know how, obviously, if you're so bad at it," Leon shot back.

"I went to the same flying classes as you, you prat," she huffed. "You know I did. I know how."

"I saw you struggle and barely manage to get off the ground. You're only a little bit better now. _Nine years later_."

"It was enough to save your bloody life from Fiendfyre," she shot back.

"_You _weren't the one that saved me," he replied sharply. Adelaide made a face at him.

"Sure, but it was _your_ friend that tried to kill us all with fucking Fiendfyre to begin with."

Draco stared at her. "It's not like I told him to!"

James grinned at her, ignoring their squabble. "Let me teach you!"

"I know how."

"Then let me teach you correctly," he requested. "I promise you'll be safe and I promise you'll learn to enjoy it."

"Or," she raised an eyebrow. "I can just skip the Quidditch and go join your father in the library. Like I originally wanted."

"You're no fun," he pouted.

"Not fun, but certainly safer than meters off the ground with only a slim piece of wood holding me up," she muttered again, because it was truly ridiculous.

"A slim piece of wood with a million charms on it," Leon corrected.

She fixed him with a pointed glare. "How many times did Harry fall off of his broom? I'm sure you counted."

He cleared his throat. "_Harry_ had perpetually bad luck. And… I might've tried to knock him off a few times."

She rolled her eyes. "I know that, stupid. But first year, he ran himself into the ground, second year there was the rogue bludger, third year the dementors, fourth year there was a _fucking dragon_, fifth year- well, Quidditch was cancelled by Umbitch, but sixth year-,"

"Sixth year he didn't fall off," Draco pointed out.

"You didn't even come to half of the games," she argued. "So you wouldn't know."

"_Sorry_, I was having a shit year."

"We all were!"

"Merlin," James cut in. "Sounds like Harry's a bad flier."

"Actually, he's the best of our year," she told him, pointedly glaring at Leon before he could interrupt. "He just has…. Really shit luck. _And_ it's that dangerous. Sorry, but after seeing my best friend almost die on a broom so many years in a row, I'm not eager to join him."

"Well it's a good thing he's over twenty years in the future," Leon told her.

"Did you say _dementors_?" James asked, thinking through everything she'd mentioned. "What the hell were dementors doing at school?"

"It's a long story," she frowned. "Someone broke out of prison and they thought he'd be coming to Hogwarts."

"He didn't, did he?" James asked, wide eyed.

"Um…"

"Merlin, he did! I wanna hear this story."

"It's getting late," Leon interrupted. "We should go in, your mum said to be back by dark."

James sighed. "Fine, but tell me another day."

"Sure."

The pair watched him run over to Sirius, Remus, and Regulus, who were still hovering above the ground, talking. "Hey, did you know someone broke out of Azkaban in Addy's third year?"

Adelaide groaned quietly as Regulus's eyes shot to her in surprise. She merely shook her head back.

"You're horrible at keeping secrets," Leon told her. "Regulus knows?"

She shrugged. "Occlumency, Draco. He'll get to it eventually, anyway."

"You've really grown attached to him," her friend commented. "You know he's barely twelve, right?"

She made a face. "He's a friend. And this way… maybe I'll know when the cave comes up."

"You really want to save him."

"I do."

"But the tapestry, the one that holds the names of all Blacks. Even I'm on it, my birth date and a place for my death date. Isn't his filled in, in the future?" He asked, knowing she'd seen it at Grimmauld Place.

"It is," she nodded, remembering the day Sirius has found her in there looking it over. "But I have a plan for that, too."

"Really."

"Sirius told me while we were on the run how that tapestry works, the magic behind it. I think I can trick it."

Leon shook his head at her. "Are you prepared for this plan to not work?"

"I think it will."

"But if it doesn't," he argued. "You need to keep in mind that it's possible."

She nodded a little, albeit reluctantly. "I know."

Xx

The ball was large and overwhelming. All of the kids - Adelaide, Leon, Severus, Lily, James, Sirius, Regulus, Remus, and Peter - were there, as well as Orion and Arcturus.

Which proved to be an issue.

"If he's already got what he wanted, what's the problem?" she hissed, ripping her arm from Sirius's grasp. "Let go of me!"

"Addy, he's a politician," he told her sharply as they entered the empty coatroom. "You don't know what he'll do with that! You said lots of people are going to go to Voldemort. How do you not know he's all good?"

"You really think he'd do that?" she asked, disbelieving.

"I think he'd do anything to keep the House alive, even if it goes against everything he believes," Sirius replied tiredly. "So no, I don't really think you're safe around him, or Orion."

She breathed out through her nose in frustration. "I can't hide in here all night!"

Sirius gave her a pained look. "Stay with everyone else. Reg and I will keep them away."

With that, she left the coatroom and found her way over to Remus, a frown firmly on her face. She found him standing with two identical redheads that she immediately identified as the Prewett twins.

"Addy, are you okay?" Remus asked her as she leaned against him tiredly.

"Sirius is an overprotective git," she muttered.

"Want us to turn his hair blue?" a twin - Fabian - asked, grinning at her. She couldn't help but smile at how similar they were to Fred and George. They'd been immediately drawn to Hermione and the three had formed an odd sort of friendship, very protective on the twin's part.

"Or green," Gideon suggested.

"Or yellow," Fabian continued.

"No, thanks," she laughed, relaxing a little. "He's just looking out for me, really. I just hate feeling helpless."

"Why?" Gideon wondered. "Someone here out to get you?"

She rolled her eyes. "He certainly thinks so."

"Who?" Fabian asked her, genuinely concerned now. They felt so familiar, so similar to Fred and George that she couldn't help but trust them immediately.

"Orion and Arcturus Black," she replied quietly, trying to ensure no one else heard. Remus had turned to talk to Leon, who had walked up, and she felt relatively safe with everyone around her.

"Oh," Fabian nodded. "They can be nasty. Why're they after you?"

She shrugged. "I had a meeting with Arcturus. Sirius says he rooted through my mind."

Gideon's eyes darkened. "That's illegal, Pip, is he sure?"

Her eyes widened. She supposed it made sense, but it hadn't actually occurred to her that it might be illegal. She let out a deep breath and nodded. "Apparently, it's common."

"But you're okay otherwise?" Fabian asked her. She smiled softly at their protective stance.

"He didn't hurt me, really. I just…" she frowned. "Um, I know some things about his family that he didn't know, so we were talking about that and… there was a memory I needed to show him, and-,"

"And he used that as an invitation to look around," Gideon sighed as he nodded. "He's a well known master Legilimens."

"Yeah, so now Sirius and Regulus are playing guard dogs trying to keep them away from me," she pouted. "Which means I probably won't go back for Christmas next year."

"You _want_ to go back?"

"I only went to keep Walburga off their backs," she explained. "She thinks I'm a blood purist."

The twins shared a look.

"That's pretty maniacal of you," Gideon told her.

"And our boys here said you were innocent," Fabian finished. She snorted.

"So you didn't hear about me hexing Sirius's hair off, then?"

Xx

The ball ended at nearly two in the morning after they celebrated bringing in the new year. The kids were sent to the guest rooms at twelve thirty, and they relaxed together, talking until they slowly passed out in Remus's room together.

The rest of the break was quick, and soon enough they found themselves back at Hogwarts, most of them with unfinished homework.

They slipped back into a comfortable routine of classes, pranks, goofing off, and _maybe _homework if Lily and Severus nagged them enough.

Adelaide and Leon, however, spent their time working hard to find the cave Voldemort would hide the horcrux in. They did thorough research on Tom Riddle, but also everything surrounding his younger years. It took them nearly three months before they managed to track down the orphanage he had been in, and from there, it was a simple matter of going to the orphanage.

The more difficult matter was removing the de-ageing potions… again, in Adelaide's case.

With Aberforth knowing and understanding the situation, he told them how to do it between some cursing, and they managed to remove the potions and the glamours both. They didn't want to be tracked down in the case of someone - likely Dumbledore - finding out about the visit.

"I'll use my real name," Adelaide told him. "We can call you Draco, but not Malfoy. Find something else."

"Potter."

"No, you're missing the point. Something not well known or traceable. Something muggle, Draco."

He scowled, shoving his newly blonde hair to the side. He'd let it grow out after the war and had stopped using product, leaving the hair long and, to Adelaide's surprise, somewhat curly. "Fine. What names are typical in the muggle world?"

"Jones."

"Draco Jones," he tested. He made a face. "I don't like it."

"Too bad," she told him, gripping his hand within her own. "Ready?"

"I suppose."

She twisted on her foot, her eyes closed, and they disappeared from the Room of Requirement with a loud crack. Blessing her new ability to apparate despite wards, she steadied herself as they were deposited on a well manicured lawn. "Wow, it looks… better."

"Someone probably bought it," Draco suggested, pulling his hand out of hers. She nodded a little, suddenly discouraged, and made the short walk to the front door.

After the second time knocking, the door slammed open, revealing an old, harried woman holding a small child in her arms. "Yes?"

"Hello, ma'am," Adelaide smiled brightly. "My name is Hermione Granger and this is my partner, Draco Jones. We're here to ask a few questions about a boy that lived here many years ago."

The woman narrowed her eyes, her voice falling to a whisper. "You're some of those… those _magic_ folks, aren't you?"

"Yes, we are."

"That man said I wouldn't see any more of you," she complained, waving them inside. "What could you possibly need now?"

"Do you remember the boy? Tom Riddle?" Draco asked her as she led them into an empty sitting room. She nodded firmly.

"Don't know how I could forget, the nasty things he did. Why?"

"We're looking into his past," Adelaide told her. "He's wanted in connection to some acts of terrorism in our world, and we think we might be able to stop him if we understand him a little better. Unfortunately, the man that picked him up from here died recently. We thought we'd see what you remember."

"He was vile. Always cruel to the other kids. Stealing their things, making their food disappear or the door handles so they were stuck in their rooms. He pushed one boy off a cliff, did you know?"

Draco nodded, and Adelaide tried to hide her excitement as he spoke, mostly because it was inappropriate to be excited that a child had been pushed to what she guessed was their death. "That cliff, were there caves nearby?"

"Yes, in fact there were," she nodded slowly, setting the child on the couch next to her to let it sleep. "He always went missing, but he couldn't possibly have gotten up there. It's much too high."

"Can you tell us where it was?" Adelaide requested. "We'd like to take a look."

"Oh, well it's just beyond the house," she shook her head. "We are by the sea. The cave is directly across from us, you can't miss it. High up there, it is."

She smiled brightly. "Thank you, ma'am. We appreciate it."

"Oh," Draco turned as they started to leave the room. "And if anyone else comes asking, don't let them know we were here. There's a war brewing and we don't need them knowing what we know."

"Of course," the old woman replied, eyes wide. "But don't come back here! I've had enough of your magic."

They said nothing as they left the house and really took a look around.

"Shit. We really are on the sea," Adelaide rolled her eyes. "Next time we look around."

"There it is," Draco nudged her, pointing at a lone cave high above the waves. "We can probably apparate in there."

She nodded, offering her hand. He took it, and she sent them into the dark caves, landing hard on the wet ground. It was a relatively small room, and she would've lost hope had Harry not told her what they'd done in such detail. Without warning, she pulled up her wand and sliced her palm open, startling her friend.

"Fuck, Granger, stop doing that!"

She snorted. "I've done it twice now, both times for good reason." She walked up to the sharp rock wall and smothered her blood across the rocks. It stung, cutting her hand open more, and she hissed loudly, though she didn't stop until she heard the rocks separating.

She offered her hand to Draco, letting him heal it for her quietly as she stared at the sight ahead of her. Once he was done, the pair walked into the dark, dripping cave.

"Careful," she commented as he walked closer to the water, looking down into it. "Inferi."

"How do we get across?"

She frowned, holding out her hand. "I should still be able to apparate."

He took it and she popped them over, though something happened that had them not landing easily on the rocks but falling hard. Draco rolled with it while Adelaide didn't have time, having fallen at a slightly lower part than him. She slammed into the rocks and let out a groan as one dug into her side, slicing it open just a little.

"Shit," he moaned. "Let's not do that again."

She nodded a little. "Miffy offered to help me whenever I need, so I'm sure if we call her, she can get us out."

"Why'd she do that?" Draco blinked at her.

"I'm pretty sure Dorea told her to," she admitted, brushing off her shirt and glancing down at the cut. It was small but deep, though it wasn't bleeding too much, so she decided to ignore it for the moment.

As she'd guessed, the bowl was already there, and it was already filled with potion. She'd realized months earlier that if Voldemort needed Kreacher to get into the cave, there must've already been something there. Her guess had been the locket - not yet a horcrux - and as she stared down into the bowl, she knew she was right.

"I could just take it," she told him. "And solve… everything."

"But you can't," he told her. "That would cause a paradox, and you can't fix those."

She sighed tiredly. "I know."

"So how does this… work?"

She looked at him and then back at the bowl and, before he could stop her, rushed up to it, dipped the cup into the potion, and drank it down.

The effects were instantaneous. She immediately felt that familiar pain, and she grabbed onto the basin to hold herself up, unable to hold back the scream building up in her throat.

"Hermione!" Draco yelled, scrambling over. The familiar noise pained him, ghostly memories of her being tortured popped into his mind. He wrapped an arm around her to support her and she leaned into him. "What the fuck?"

She sucked in a deep breath and reached out, filling it again and pouring it into her mouth. As much as he wanted to stop her, he'd have had to fight her for it and he was more afraid of hurting her or potentially setting off some unknown alarm - he knew Voldemort and he definitely didn't doubt he'd do something of the sort.

Once the second scoop was down her throat, her vision left her and was filled instead with Bellatrix straddling her, a knife in her hands.

"No," she moaned. "Please, not again."

"Granger," Draco shook her gently. "Hey, you're okay. It's okay!"

His voice startled her and she was able to jerk slightly back into reality. "Don't let me… stop," she bit out, despite desperately wanting to stop. "Don't let me stop, have to."

He shook his head. "We have to leave, _now_."

"No!" She snapped, blinking away the vision of Bellatrix. "Have to… please, Draco."

Her near begging startled him and, hesitantly, he dipped the cup back in. They were nearly done, and so he tipped the liquid back into her mouth. She shook violently with it and fell to the ground. He barely had time to fall with her to soften her landing, and he did his best not to look at her face as he gently pushed her off of him and stood, filling the cup with the last drops of the potion. She was screaming now, begging like she had before, and his hand shook violently as he dropped to his knees and forced her mouth open, dropping the last of the potion into her mouth.

With the last part of the potion, she let out the same cry he'd heard before, the one that had chilled him to the bone: "Just kill me, please! Let me die!"

He tossed the cup to the side and pulled her into his lap, holding her close. She was shaking as bad as she had been after the torture itself, and he was horrified to look down and see blood dripping off of her forearm.

"Miffy!" He called, breathing heavily. "Adelaide needs help!"

The elf popped in, eyes wide. "Lady Addy is big again. She's- what did you do to her?"

He shook his head. "It's a potion, not me. Please, take us to Hogwarts. We have to go there."

Miffy nodded firmly and placed a hand on both Draco and Adelaide. She popped them away, and he found himself on the floor in the Infirmary. She frowned at him and quickly snapped her fingers. In the most unsettling feeling ever, he felt himself shrink rapidly into the thirteen year old he'd been before leaving, and knew Adelaide had as well. Not only that, but their glamours were back. "Miffy be telling Madame Pomfrey and Master James." With that, the elf disappeared.

Draco struggled to lift Adelaide onto a bed and rushed around to look at her arm. The completely healed scar had sliced itself open and was bleeding freely. Aside from that, she was shaking the same way she had been after her five hours of the Cruciatus. Finally, she'd cut her side when falling and that had never stopped bleeding. By the time he removed her jacket and transfigured her clothes into a hospital gown, Madame Pomfrey was rushing over.

"Oh- oh, Merlin, Morgana, and Circe, what happened?"

"It's- it's a potion," he stuttered. "I don't know what, it reopened her scar and she's shaking like she did after the Cruciatus, I don't know what it is," he told her, surprised by how genuinely shooken up he was. Adelaide was still crying and occasionally screaming, which only showed just how badly hurt she was once more. The mediwitch nodded and set to work, gently shoving him aside after handing him a potion for the shock. By the time he'd taken it and calmed down, James, Sirius, and Remus burst into the infirmary. Madame Pomfrey was still trying to stabilize Adelaide and hadn't yet been able to summon a curtain to shield her from view, and so the three boys came to a horrified stop at the end of her bed.

"Oh my god," Remus whispered. "What happened to her?"

"Is she dying?" James asked Madame Pomfrey, who didn't bother glancing at him.

"I'm doing the best I can," the woman told him. "She's suffered… some nasty things. I'd tell you to leave but I'm sure you won't, so just stay out of my way."

The boys quietly made their way over to Leon, who was running his fingers through his hair. Before they could even ask questions, he began speaking. "She was looking for something, something to help someone. There was a potion, and she just took it despite knowing what it did… it sent her back to the torture, I think, and it's like it happened all over again. The scar opened, and she's shaking. It's worse now because she's so young physically. Plus… the guy that took the potion before, in our time, it did something to him. We don't know what, but it messed him up."

"But she's gonna be okay, right?" Sirius asked him. Leon shrugged.

"I couldn't stop her. She told me how to get us out and then just drank it. I don't… I really don't know what's gonna happen."

The doors slammed open and Severus sped into the room, stopping at the foot of her bed like his friends had before him. "Addy…"

Before Leon could talk, the doors opened again, and this time Regulus ran in, moving all the way to Leon. "What happened?"

And so he told them again. Both boys were silent, though the guilt radiating off of Regulus was clear to everyone.

"She's going to live," Madame Pomfrey spoke up, making her way over. "I've ensured she doesn't have any heart attacks like she was when she was brought in, and hopefully that helps. Mister Westley, you said she's endured the Cruciatus in the past?"

"Yes… um, for five hours. That's where she got the scar, too."

The woman looked absolutely horrified. "A child this young… no wonder she was so bad. The scar itself has some severe dark magic that I'm hoping to extract, but it's likely it won't be able to heal without scarring again, and it won't close for months."

"Same as last time, then."

"As for the potion," she frowned. "I know it. It's very, very old. Who gave it to her?"

"Um."

"Madame Pomfrey."

All the students and the witch alike turned in surprise as Dumbledore strode over to them. Leon's gut twisted at the sight. She'd gone so long without his notice, and now…

"Professor Dumbledore, I'm glad you're here. Perhaps you can question your students while I tend to my patient," the woman suggested. He nodded gracefully and she rushed off, summoning potions and tools as she went.

"I must say, I didn't realize so many students were out of bed," Dumbledore commented. "Though none of you seem willing to leave."

"Not over my dead body," Sirius told him firmly. "She's family."

"Very well. I don't mind more company while we speak if Mister Westley doesn't?"

Leon shook his head.

"Wonderful! Madame Pomfrey sent me a message detailing what she found. That's a very nasty potion, Retorquetur. Where did you find it?"

"We snuck out to go to Hogsmeade," he lied. "It was just in a drink, I guess."

Dumbledore obviously didn't believe him, but he didn't call him out and rather moved on. "I also wonder where a young lady of thirteen would endure such horrible torture."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "Probably a terrorist."

"You know nothing more than that?"

He shook his head. "She told me about it but not much."

"Very well. I'll call her parents, then. Thank you for the information, Mister Westley."

He watched Dumbledore walk back over to Madame Pomfrey and sighed. "I think we should get Alphard here. We don't want Pomfrey to spread news about her core."

"Oh," Sirius said, obviously not having thought of it.

"_Expecto Patronum_," Leon muttered. His dragon shot out of the wand, and he felt himself relax a bit. "To Alphard Black. Adelaide has been badly hurt and was taken to Madame Pomfrey. Come quick. Dumbledore is here." The dragon flew off, disappearing through the stone wall. "And now, we wait."

Xx

Alphard arrived within the next half hour and spoke to Pomfrey, claiming the DOM wanted to know what potion was used and managed to look at her notes. Finding that she hadn't used a general diagnostic scan, he got the story from the kids and left again to speak with Sarah Snape and then Aberforth and finally Orion. His presence had the added advantage of further convincing Dumbledore that Leon had been telling the truth, however far fetched a story it was.

The kids stayed with her for as long as possible, and only left when James and Sirius, who had been leaning heavily against each other, both fell out of their chair because they fell asleep. Even then, Severus stayed with her so she wasn't alone.

Madame Pomfrey predicted it would take her at least a day to wake.

It took her seven hours.

She woke with a terrified start, shooting up in bed, her arms out in defense. There was a small bit of light peaking through the windows, and Severus stood in surprise, running to her side. "Addy, hey, Adelaide, you're okay!"

She was shaking aggressively, much more so now that she was awake, but she looked him over critically before turning back to look at her environment. After a long few minutes, she nodded quietly, blinking at him.

"Do you remember where you are?" He asked her. Memory loss was extremely common after the Cruciatus, and her confused frown wasn't very calming.

"I- um…" she blinked at him. "Professor Snape?"

He reeled back in shock. "_What_?" He'd completely forgotten his future role in his life, and to be referred to as that was startling.

"Where… Hogwarts was… Did we win?"

His mouth fell open as he tried to understand her questions. "The… war?"

"...yeah."

He nodded slowly. "That's what you've told me."

Her eyes filled with more frustrated confusion. "I don't understand."

"You're in 1973," he told her gently. "You took the name Adelaide. You're here with your friend Draco."

She winced at his name. "He's not… here though, is he?"

Severus frowned. "He is, why? Do you want me to get him-,"

"No!" She snapped. His eyes widened in surprise. "I just- he was… I don't understand, I don't want to see him until I understand."

"He's the only one that can really tell you what happened in the future," he argued. "He's your friend, isn't he?"

"Yes, but he- he didn't do… anything," she told him in a whisper. "Why?"

Severus felt a cold understanding fall over him. "His father bound him, Ade- um, Hermione. He couldn't."

"No…" she frowned. "I mean before. He saw us. He spoke to us. He could've helped us before then… he didn't."

Severus rubbed his face gently, suddenly realizing why she never spoke about the war. He really did feel too young for this. The raw pain she showed was almost too hard to look at. Still, he loved her and she needed help. "Hermione, you knew he was stuck on the opposite side. What would you have done in his place?"

"Helped him."

The answer was so firm and honest that he believed her. "You were in Gryffindor. He's a Slytherin."

She looked away, her eyes falling on the infirmary again. "What happened?"

"You won the war," he told her honestly. "And then you got sent to 1971. You've been here for two years. It's April 10th, 1973."

She looked back at him, wide eyed. "What?"

"You were given the name Adelaide and placed with me. Last year, Draco showed up because of an accident. He goes by Leon… you called me Professor Snape. Look at me. I'm thirteen."

He watched as, very slowly, understanding set in. "Oh my god."

"There was… something happened," he sighed. "Draco said there was a potion in a cave. You drank it willingly and it… it really messed you up."

"Cave," she frowned. "Oh my god… the _cave_, I was in the cave? I _drank the potion_?"

He nodded. "Why did you?"

"I don't know. Harry said it had the… but there's no way I'd try and take it _now_, not if we won the war," she blinked a few times, thinking. "Who am I… close with?"

"All of us," Severus answered. "Me, James, Sirius, Remus, Lily… oh, and Regulus."

He watched as clarity passed through her. "I did it for Regulus, then."

"What do you mean?"

"She's trying to save me."

Adelaide's head shot up, and she scrambled for her wand desperately.

"Hey, no, it's okay," Severus promised. "It's Regulus, he snuck back in. You're okay."

She glanced to Severus, her breathing shallow as the panic settled into her chest. "My wand."

"I took your things back to your dorm," Regulus told her gently. She could see him now as he approached the bed, and she was shocked.

"You look… just like Sirius."

"She's got some amnesia," Severus told his friend before he could reply. "She doesn't really remember us… not like this. I think it sent her back to what she knew when she was captured."

Regulus nodded his understanding and managed to smile at her. "Believe it or not, we are brothers. Most Blacks look like we do, though because our parents are second cousins, we've got a thicker concentration of it."

She nodded nervously. "What do you… know?"

"I know that I'm possibly going to die when I'm 18," he told her. "I know that you were looking into changing that, but that you got stuck on the potion that was used. I know that you lied to Leon somehow and the two of you went there and you took the potion to find out what it was without warning Leon, and I know you almost _died_."

She stared, wide eyed, at the angry boy in front of her. "I don't… I really don't want anyone else to die."

That sentence shocked both boys into silence. Whether it was the fragile tone of her voice or the broken look on her face, both of them felt how heavily the war impacted her for just a moment.

"No one's going to die," Severus whispered to her. He knew it had to be a lie and that she didn't believe him, but still the words calmed her just a little bit.

"I need…" she frowned. "Sirius, I need to see Sirius."

Regulus and Severus shared a look before Regulus walked back out to find the boy. Severus was left alone with her in an unsettled silence, and he frowned as her eyes darkened. "Addy?"

She looked to him in surprise. "Is that what you call me?"

He nodded. "What are you thinking about?"

"Just… Harry," she replied. "Um, my friend, I mean."

"Yeah, you mention him a lot," Severus told her.

"He's the center of this war," she explained. It sort of made sense now that she'd said it, why she was so deeply involved in it to begin with. "He's an orphan, his parents were killed when he was one. He was raised by abusive family, and then has been attacked every year since he was eleven. Now there's this war… or _was _this war, and I can see him getting darker. We both are, everything is dark. I want him to be happy. I want to be happy… I want to think the way I used to, not worry every second that I'm going to-," she cut off, unable to say it and shook her head. "My head… _hurts_. My _mind_ hurts."

Severus remembered then how she'd mentioned that Bellatrix had rifled through her memories and swore softly. "I don't know how we didn't remember! It wouldn't show up on any scans. You need Regulus."

"No," she denied immediately before getting suspicious. "Why?"

"When Bellatrix… she dug through your mind. I doubt it was healed the first time, and now those mental injuries have been not only irritated but reopened. No wonder you've got amnesia…"

"But why Regulus?"

He shrugged. "He's been teaching you Occlumency, you guys clicked in an odd way, I don't really know."

"What's going on?" Sirius asked as he ran in. Adelaide's eyes widened as he approached her bed and grabbed her hand. "You okay?"

"_Sirius_ ," she whispered. "Oh my god."

"Is she okay?" Regulus quietly asked Severus. The other boy shook his head hard.

"You need to help her," Severus told his friend. "Her amnesia, I think it's from the reopening of those mental wounds Bellatrix gave her."

Regulus's eyes widened quickly. "Merlin, I'm so stupid…"

"We both are."

"What's going on?" Sirius asked them with a frown.

"Adelaide," Regulus said gently, gaining her attention. "I know you don't remember me, but we've been doing Occlumency."

"He told me."

"I need to go into your mind and heal it," he told her. "Or it'll scar over again and you might not gain back your memories from the time between the torture and when you woke up."

She looked scared as she looked between the two familiar strangers and then back at Regulus. "I don't… it hurts."

"I know," he winced. "I want to help."

She looked at Sirius again before her eyes settled on him. "If Sirius stays."

"Of course," Sirius said immediately. The brothers exchanged a glance, and Sirius moved to take the seat Severus had been in. "I'll be right here the entire time."

"I'll go find everyone and tell them you're awake," Severus promised. "Draco might make his way in here, is that okay?"

With a long moment of hesitation, she nodded. He gave her a smile before quietly leaving them.

"Okay," Regulus muttered. "I'm going to sit across from you on the bed, alright?" She nodded and he jumped up on the bed with her, crossing his legs. "I'll put my hands on your face and enter your mind. You won't feel a thing."

"It's not going to hurt?"

"No," he assured her. "Usually, you guide me around your mind, but this time, I have to sort of wander around to find what she's damaged. It'll be like an open wound. I'll tell you when I've found it. It might hurt while I try and fix it, and there's a chance you'll be sent back to some memories, and from what I've seen of your mind, there's a nice chance they won't be good."

"How do you… know so much? You're so young." She asked him.

"My grandfather taught me."

The angry tone confused and startled her, and she just nodded in response. "You think this will help me remember?"

"It might," he nodded. "Think of it like this. Your memories since being with Bellatrix got shoved behind a door, and that door is made of scar tissue that's been torn apart and is slowly stitching back together permanently. I just have to find them and send them back and then remove the excess scar tissue and seal it up."

"Yeah, simple," she scoffed.

He raised his hands slowly, letting her know he was going to touch her. She forced herself to relax as his hands fell on her face, and she stared him down. "Ready?"

"Sure."

The feeling of him entering her mind was like something poking into a partially healed wound, tearing it open again. She gasped painfully as he entered and heard him do the same. She didn't manage to speak before she was tossed carelessly into a memory she didn't recognize.

_Hermione woke up in Shell Cottage in a start. Her breathing was heavy, and she moved her hand from the snout of Padfoot to pet his head gently. He was looking at her nervously, his paw on the edge of the bed, ready to turn back into the wizard inside. _

"_Nightmare," she promised. "No pain."_

_He narrowed his eyes at the blatant lie and slipped off of the bed. The large dog turned into the skinny wizard, and she leaned herself up against the headboard as he sat back down, looking at her. "You're a horrible liar, kitten." _

_She shrugged. "There's always pain, Sirius. What do you want me to do?" _

"_Be honest," he suggested. "It's the only way we can help you." _

"_We need to be working on getting into her vaults," she deflected, rubbing her forehead. "I think we'll have to break in." _

"_Yep, we will," he agreed. "Anywho, talk to me." _

_She scrunched up her nose. "I don't wanna talk. Tell me a story." _

_He considered the request for a moment, thinking about what he could tell her. "Have I ever told you about the most powerful witch I've ever known?" _

_She blinked. "No." _

"_Yeah, her name was Adelaide. She was brilliant. A Slytherin, if you'll believe it. We were so close… she was like a sister to me. She loved Reg, too. Fiercely. And she was tortured, a lot like you were. We almost lost her." _

"_What happened?" _

_He shrugged, waving his hand in the air. "It was the beginning of the war and she was a good target. One of her oldest friends and her snuck out of the castle. It was a mess."_

"_What happened to her?" _

"_Oh… we don't really know. Her brother might, but he won't tell us anything. Matter of fact, he's an evil bastard." _

"_You miss her," Hermione accused. He nodded, suddenly looking very tired. _

"_Yes, but you remind me a great deal of her."_

"_What happened after she was tortured?" Hermione asked him quietly. "Did she ever… go back to the way she used to be?" _

_Sirius seemed to consider the question. "She was dark when we met her. She did her best to keep it from us, but… she told Reg a great deal of it, her past. But after the torture… no, I'm not sure she did go back to the same way she was before." _

"_Ah." _

"_We still loved her," he nudged her gently. "We were angry with her for being so reckless, _especially _Regulus, but we loved her so much. Actually, she had a bout of amnesia, I'm surprised you didn't." _

"_I keep forgetting things," she admitted. "But I remember you guys. It's just… like I'll say something and two seconds later forget I ever said it." _

_He sighed. "You're gonna be okay, kitten. Trust me." _

"_I always trust you," she promised softly, surprising him with the truth of the statement. _

The memory ended abruptly, and Adelaide and Regulus were dropped into a messy flurry of shapes, colors, and senseless scenes. They couldn't exactly see each other, more sense each other.

"I don't… I forgot about that," she whispered with a frown. "Sirius always slept on my bed after getting splinched, and then Bellatrix… he acted so weirdly around me, worse than Harry."

"Maybe he knew what had happened," Regulus suggested softly. "He knows what'll happen, he just doesn't know he's going to be there. You didn't tell us, not even me."

She looked around at the visions, confused. "Some of this looks like it's from when I was pretty young…"

"I don't get the sense that Bellatrix cared what she destroyed," Regulus replied darkly. She felt some slightly painful prodding and gasped. "Sorry. I did warn you it might hurt."

"Sirius… he said we're close," she said slowly, trying to understand his words.

"We are," Regulus replied carefully. "And we do all love you."

"No, you and I."

"I help you with your Occlumency," he tried. Truthfully, Sirius's words had completely confused him. "So I know a lot more than everyone else, and naturally we've grown closer."

"...right."

Regulus shifted something in her mind, and she felt herself fall back into a memory, like tripping into a hole in the ground.

"_I was just starting to feel… better," Adelaide told Draco. He was threading his healing magic into her, trying to heal the long term effects of the Cruciatus that she still suffered. It was extremely relaxing, and she closed her eyes as he worked. "I'm so tired of knowing what I know." _

"_Yeah," he replied tiredly. "I could tell. You looked almost happy at Potter's party." _

"_It was Harry's birthday," she argued. "I had to be happy." _

_Draco shifted, nudging her arm off the edge of the chair as he began working on her hand and wrist. "Sure, but you meant it. What happened at Potter Manor?" _

_She breathed out slowly. "Peter." _

"_Right," Draco nodded. "I'm surprised you haven't punched him yet." _

"_Next year," she let a smile slip. "Third year is my punching year." _

"_I still stand by the fact that you suffered a year of Weasley pestering you before you hit me." _

_She didn't reply to that, the typical avoidance of anything Ron related still burned deep inside of her. "How are you so calm about all of this?" _

"_Well, for one, I haven't been here as long as you," he pointed out, gently placing her arm back on the chair before grabbing the other and setting to work. "For two, my friends consist of Theo and Blaise, and we're not horribly codependent like you and Potter." _

_She made a face. "Harry and I can exist without each other just fine." _

"_Yes, this is a great example," he scoffed. "You replaced him with James. Your point is perfectly proven." _

"_Can I ask a question?" she opened her eyes and made eye contact. He narrowed his eyes and nodded, pausing his motions to look at her. "Did Theo and Blaise become Death Eaters, too?" _

_He sighed. "Blaise didn't. Voldemort had no interest in him yet, though I believe he was on the recruit list eventually. Theo… yes. His father was one of Voldemort's closest in the first war."_

_She quietly pulled her arm away from him and sat up more, reaching out. He tensed as she picked up his arm, pulling it closer. She pulled up the sleeve and bit her lip at the sight of the familiar mark. "You don't look at it." _

"_I do," he frowned. "No one else does." _

_She ran a finger over the tattoo like mark, making him shiver. "Maybe I can look into it, see if it can be removed." _

"_It can't," he told her, watching her stare at it with the calculating brain she'd lived off of for years. "He made sure of it." _

_She shook her head at him, touching it gently. He winced at the feeling, and she looked up at him. "No, there's a way, Draco. I'll find it." _

_He didn't reply as he watched her stare at the Mark without fear but rather thoughtfully. The touch on the damned thing was horribly kind, and it made him itch to take back every terrible thing he'd said or done to her. _

"What was that?" Adelaide asked, wide eyed. "I remember that, just barely. We met almost everyday in the Room of Requirement and talked while he healed me, I just… I don't remember anything else."

"It'll… fall into place," Regulus told her. "That Mark-,"

"Voldemort," she confirmed. "They're cursed. I don't know how. I remember Draco saying it was like torture when he got it, but he didn't clarify because he said he passed out."

"If anyone can do it, you will," Regulus muttered as he kept working. There were random shots of pain as he kept moving, though they weren't as bad as she'd expected. "I'm almost done, do you remember anything else?"

She hummed, trying to remember more. "Not… really? It feels like there's something so close but I just don't know what it is."

Both of them gasped as they were dropped once more into a memory, this one tugging at something just on the surface of her mind.

_Harry laid down next to her on the large bed, gently nudging her arm. She looked up at him with a faint smile as he relaxed. _

"_It's been a week," he pointed out. "Why are you still hiding?"_

_She rested her head against his shoulder, staring at her uncovered arm. "It doesn't feel real, Harry."_

"_Yeah. What are you thinking about?"_

"_Ron."_

_Harry was quiet for a beat. "Me too."_

"_Do you think he would've made it?" She asked him curiously. Her heart was breaking all over again as she asked the question that had been on her mind since before they'd even gone on the run. _

"_I think he would've done everything he could've," Harry told her. "I know it was hard for me… and it still is, but you loved him."_

_She flinched. "Harry-,"_

"_But it's true. And you never talk about it, about him, you just… you don't."_

"_I spoke to Sirius about him a few times," she admitted. "I didn't want… you know, you just have so much going on and it hurts you, too. You didn't need to listen to me."_

_Harry blinked at her in surprised frustration. "Hermione!"_

"_Don't yell at me," she snapped. "There were more important things going on."_

"_Like what?"_

"_Sirius almost died!"_

_Harry rolled his eyes. "He didn't. _I _almost died. So did you, the way Dolohov attacked you!"_

_She winced, her gut twisting at the reminder, and his eyes widened. _

"_Sorry. I know you're sensitive about that."_

"_It's fine."_

"_Have you been seeing Malfoy again?" He asked her quietly. Her shock caused her to jolt up and look at him, and he laughed at her. "You're not great at being secretive."_

"_How the hell did you know?" She asked him, worried. "Why didn't you confront him? Or me?"_

_Harry shrugged. "After Ron… it just felt pointless. He could hate me but I didn't want to waste the energy on hating him, too. And I trust you, Mione. If you were dating him then obviously-,"_

"_No!" She cringed. "No, god Harry, _no_. We're friends."_

_He laughed at her. "How was I supposed to know? So… when did it happen? You guys hated each other, just like we did." _

_She raised an eyebrow. "Remember when I sent you and Ron to bed after the Yule Ball and didn't come to bed too?"_

"_Yeah," Harry frowned. "I got worried but Dean told me to relax." _

_She laughed shortly. "I got locked in a classroom with Malfoy. He walked in while I was crying and closed the door to… I don't know, give me privacy?"_

"_Privacy? Malfoy?" Harry snorted. "He's usually more likely to put on a show about it." _

"_I honestly don't know," she admitted. "He helped me with my hair and then I proved to him that he was an idiot." _

"_That just… sounds nothing like him," he reminded her. _

"_I know, but you saw how he acted. He refused to identify you and he kept looking at me," she told him. Her mind drifted back to Malfoy Manor and she shivered, feeling distinctly nauseous. "He does his best."_

"_So you two just sat in that room together and talked?" he shook his head. "You've been friends since fourth year?"_

_Hermione shrugged lightly. "He's extremely kind to me when I need it, and he doesn't let me give excuses. He's… a really good friend." _

"_I'm glad you're happy," Harry told her, sitting up as she did. "So, you guys really aren't-,"_

"_No!" She smacked his arm, laughing. "Shut up." _

Adelaide groaned in pain as, suddenly, all of her missing memories slid back into place. It was loud and aggressive and left her in decent pain.

Regulus pulled out of her mind immediately upon realizing what had happened and grabbed her as she nearly fell off the bed. "Addy, hey, you're okay. You're okay."

She leaned into his arms slightly, her hands holding onto her head. "It _hurts_."

"They're settling into place," he told her while Sirius moved over silently, sitting next to her in order to hold her as well. "It will hurt because your mind has to adjust to fit them in, but it should be over soon. Just give it a minute."

She whimpered quietly as the two brothers held onto her. They could see how much pain it was causing her and it hurt them, but all they could do was sit and wait with her for it to go away.

After nearly ten minutes, the last of the memories slid into place, and she leaned against Sirius, her hand held tight within Regulus's own.

"Better?" Sirius asked quietly, stroking her hair gently. She nodded a little, breathing in deeply.

"I was… I felt so _lost_," she told them softly. "I didn't know anything. Who knew what or why, and it scared me so much."

"It's been awhile since Severus left," Sirius told her. "Want me to go find him?"

She nodded with a frown. "I'll send a Patronus. You can follow it."

He agreed quietly and watched as she cast the spell.

"_Expecto Patronum_!" she called, relaxing slightly at the sight of her otter. "Go help Sirius find Severus."

The otter sped off, and Sirius stumbled off the bed to run after it. "Thanks!"

"Careful," she called back. "He'll slow down when you're out of sight, so please don't jump off any staircases."

He didn't reply as the doors closed behind him, and she rolled her head back. "He's going to get himself killed."

Regulus sat quietly frowning at her, and after a long minute, she looked up, feeling his stare. "Reg?"

"Why did you do it?" he asked her. "You could have _died_! We could have found another way to get the potion!"

"I need to know _now_," she argued. "We don't know if the potion even has a way to cure it. If there isn't, I need to find a cure. It could take years, and we only have a few of those."

"Adelaide, you can't do this!" He snapped. She reeled back, staring at him. His eyes flashed in a way she hadn't seen before, and it almost scared her. She was stiff as he spoke, his words sharp and angry. "I know you're used to danger but for Merlin's sake, take _some_ caution! You should've told others where you were going. You should've told Leon what you were doing. You should've ensured Madame Pomfrey was ready for you, and you should've let me know."

She forced herself to relax as he paused for her to reply, though his glare didn't change. "I had to figure it out. Maybe I should've thought it through more, but I don't regret doing it."

"Merlin, Addy, you don't get it!"

"Hey, no yelling at her," James interrupted as he and everyone else ran in. "We should just be thankful she's okay."

"It's her own fault that she wasn't," Regulus grumbled, getting off of the bed. "I'm going to get breakfast."

Adelaide watched, frustrated, as he walked from the room. James and Sirius took his place and laid next to her on either side, making her laugh as they each laid their head on her shoulders.

"So he's a little pissy," James commented.

"He's upset that I took the potion," she told them tiredly. "But I had to."

"He's got a right to be angry," Leon told her with a sneer. "You almost died. You couldn't have told me?"

She threw a glare at him. "If you're going to yell at me too then just follow him. I'm not up for it."

His lips thinner but he didn't reply or move.

Her gaze shifted to Remus. "Did they say what the potion was?"

"Something called _Retorquetur_," Severus answered. "Is that familiar?"

Her frown deepened. "No. It's probably pretty old… I'll need to get into the Black Library."

Sirius bumped her shoulder lightly, sitting up to look at her. "You're not going back there. We'll get whatever you need."

"But I don't know what I need," she argued. "I just need to look."

"Reg is brilliant in potions," he shot back. "He's angry but I'm sure he'll help."

She leaned her head back in frustration. "Yeah, okay."

"How're you feeling?" Remus asked gently. "You look better than before."

"I feel… like shit," she admitted softly. "But no worse than the first time."

"She said you had a heart attack when you arrived," Severus told her, his voice hard. "You were dying."

She considered his words. "Did she say if it was the potion or..?"

He scowled and Remus answered her instead. "No, it's from the torture. Because you're younger, physically, it effects you a lot worse."

"Yeah, how _did_ I get to be young again? Did Aberforth come?"

Leon shook his head. "That elf did. She dropped us here, changed us back and then went to find Madame Pomfrey and James."

Adelaide narrowed her eyes at James. "You told your mum."

His eyes widened. "Uh-,"

"James!" She threw her hands up. "Too many people know already."

"Mum and dad are trustworthy," he argued. "They want to help you, if they can."

She sighed, leaning back. "Nothing we can do about it now."

"You should sleep more," Sirius told her. "I'm not as good as Reg but I know a bit about Occlumency, too, and what you did has to be exhausting you."

"Maybe…"

"We'll be here when you wake," James smiled at her softly. "Promise."

She glanced at her friends and nodded slowly. "Okay. Thanks, guys."

"Of course," Sirius smiled, placing a kiss on her cheek. "You're family."

Xx

Adelaide spent a full two weeks in the Infirmary, and by the time she was out, she had only another two weeks of no classes and forced rest around the castle. Someone was with her constantly to make sure she didn't disappear, and most often that person was Leon as he skipped classes with her.

It was only when she snuck out of her dorm at nearly midnight and made her way to the library that Dumbledore finally found her.

And even then, it wasn't really Dumbledore.

The silvery Phoenix flapped his wings in front of her, flying in circles around her. "Hello, Miss Snape. I'd like to request a meeting. I see you are out of bed and I find night to be a wonderful time for thinking. I know you're rather good at escaping when you do not wish to be found, so for safety, my Phoenix will bring you to me."

She glanced up just as a bright, flashing light went off, blinding her. She felt a hot _something_ against her skin, and by the time she was able to move, she was dropped to the ground. "Goddamn it," she swore loudly, holding her body together as tightly as possible. It was useless, however, and she felt the shaking pains immediately. One of the worst ways to irritate her injuries was sudden, aggressive movements, and she'd managed to avoid that in the last month, much to Leon's glee. Now, however, she had a feeling he'd be as pissed as she was.

She pulled herself painfully to her feet and glanced around, barely managing not to sneer at the trinkets and portraits scattered around the room. Finally her eyes settled on Dumbledore, who had his back to her, and she felt her hair sparking. "You couldn't have landed me somewhere else? I'm not sure if you know, but I've basically endured the Cruciatus recently and it _fucking hurts_."

She heard him chuckle. She wondered how hard it would be to punch his face. Maybe next year.

"Apologies," he told her, turning. She was surprised to see he looked somewhat younger with a shorter beard and a few black hairs scattered in his hair. "I did not have control over where you fell. My mistake."

"Yeah, sure."

"Now, I've heard some… chattering amongst some of my friends. The spare few that happen to be friends with my brother, Aberforth, as well."

It took everything in her not to react. A cool mask slid over her as she made her way to his desk, standing behind one of the guest chairs. "Oh?"

"There's rumors of a young girl from the future. Twenty years in the future."

"That's impossible," she told him. "Time travel is only possible by five hours at the most."

"Yes, you're right," he told her. "But this was an accident."

She raised an eyebrow.

He smiled at her and made eye contact… and she felt it.

She tore her gaze away, hoping her bare shields had been enough. "Stay _out _of my mind," she snapped.

"I apologize for the intrusion-,"

"It's bloody illegal and _you know it_," she continued, staring at his eyebrows.

"You did not seem ready to share," he defended. "And I was correct. You're from 1998."

She snarled, her fists clenching at her side. "I know everyone adores you, but I don't. I know you're just an old man that can make horrible mistakes, the same as the rest of us. So _back off_."

"Miss Granger-,"

Her eyes flashed, and she felt her arm raise without meaning to. "You need to forget whatever you think you saw."

"I am no threat-,"

"_You bloody well are_!" She screamed. Fawkes screeched in the back of the room, and she saw him flap his wings, sensing the threat to his familiar. "Stay away from me. I know what I'm doing here and I've already got enough problems without you butting in. Stay away from me, stay away from my friends and stay away from my family."

"I don't know what I've done in the future that makes you hate me so much, but you have to know I haven't done it yet."

Adelaide snarled at him, her eyes glowing brighter than before. "You don't know what you've done. You don't know who you've hurt. You don't get to decide how I act around you. Regardless, invading my mind is grounds enough to hate you."

"Miss _Snape_-,"

"Do not mess with me or my life," she threatened.

"I had no intentions to."

"Good," she glared, turning on her heel to march out of the room. She slammed the door behind her, leaving him to consider what he could have possibly done to cause such an aggressive reaction in her.

Xx

"_What_?" Leon hissed, eyes wide with anger.

"Shut up," she replied, glancing around to make sure he hadn't caught anyone's attention. Regulus raised an eyebrow as he walked over, and she made room for him. He was still angry with her, but he'd managed to sit with her and resume their friendship two weeks ago when Sirius and Severus had yelled at him for his cold shoulder. "It's not a big deal, just something to keep in mind."

"What is?" Regulus asked, sitting.

"_Dumbledore_ invaded her mind," Leon told him in a whisper. "Last night, he fucking pulled her to him, _dropped her on the stone floor_, and then looked around in her mind because he suspected she's from the future."

Regulus swore under his breath, his hand coming up to her cheek. She made eye contact, and he slipped in to look around. Once he was done, she leaned back against the couch tiredly. "It looks like he was looking specifically for your conversation with Alphard."

"Alphard wouldn't tell him," Leon frowned. He'd only met the man a couple of times but he knew he was loyal to Orion and Adelaide, certainly not Dumbledore.

"I'd guess Arcturus told him," Regulus said angrily. "Alphard seems to have the most information about your life aside from Leon and I, and he feeds Arcturus whatever he knows, so it only makes sense. Besides, no one else would do it."

Adelaide covered her face with her hands. "My shields didn't do anything to block him at all."

"We need to prioritize," Regulus told her. "The important things first. The war, anything unusual from your school years, time after the war, and everything you've experienced since getting to the past with anyone finding out or talking about the truth."

She ran a hand through her hair and glanced at him. "I was hoping you wouldn't get to that stuff for a few years… it's all so-,"

"Dark, I know," he interrupted. "But next time, it might not be Dumbledore. Next time it might be Voldemort or one of his followers."

"You're right," she admitted reluctantly. "But school is out at the end of the week."

"We'll work on it next year," he promised. "Every day."

"Yeah."

"We'll help over the summer," Leon suggested. "Both Severus and I know Occlumency, too."

"It won't work as well because you weren't her original mentor," Regulus reminded him. "But if she's having issues maintaining the walls then that would be helpful."

"Sounds good."

Xx


	4. Chapter 3

**August 21st, 1993**

**Snape Home**

Leon laid on the grass with his arms wide out, staring at the sky. His broom was across the lawn, broken nearly in half after a bad fall. His view of the large clouds was blocked by Adelaide, her black hair curling wildly.

"Stop pouting," she nagged_, _frowning down at him. "Aren't you the least bit worried?"

"No, because we know the future."

"But it might be our interference that saves them," she argued hotly. "Please, Draco, they haven't sent letters all summer."

"And we've got a few days until school," he told her, sitting up. His back screamed at him in pain and he chose to ignore it in hopes that it would go away. "You've been worried all summer. Can't you wait another week?"

"I'm just… scared. You know Walburga."

He raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I don't. I've never had the misfortune of walking past her portrait because I never went to Grimmauld Place."

"Oh," she blinked. "I… forgot."

"Just relax," he told her. "We'll see them soon enough."

Xx

Severus pulled Adelaide along, holding onto her wrist. "Stop staring, we're going to miss the train."

"But we haven't seen them!" She argued. "We've been here all morning and they haven't showed up."

He pulled her into their compartment, sighing. "I'm sure they're fine."

"James," she turned to look at the boy as he made his way into the compartment. "Have you seen them?"

"Who?"

"Sirius and Regulus!"

He shrugged. "I saw them earlier this week for school shopping. We ran into each other."

She frowned. "They haven't been writing me."

"Oh," the boy nodded, gently pushing her to the side so he could lift his trunk up to the shelf above them. "Sirius said Walburga knows you're not a blood purist. She's demanded they end their friendships with you."

"But… they won't, right?"

He shook his head. "You know them, Addy. They just couldn't write."

"But where are they?"

"Sirius said they'd miss the train for some wedding. Apparently it was supposed to be on the summer solstice but it got pushed back."

Her eyes widened. "Bellatrix."

"What about her?" Leon asked, coming into the room with Lily. She'd begged them to go looking for the boys earlier.

"She's getting married today," she told him. "That's why they're not here."

"I _told _you," he rolled his eyes, taking a seat next to her. Lily sat next to Severus, her legs crossed. "You worried all summer."

She leaned back against James, her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I worried about you just as much over summers."

He paused, frowning at her. "You did?"

She opened her eyes, blinking at him. "Of course I did. Things got really bad, and you were there with your dad and Bellatrix, and I wasn't stupid enough to forget Voldemort was staying with you. Not to mention Harry was in danger constantly, and Remus was doing things for Dumbledore again, and Sirius was stuck in Grimmauld Place… I was worried about everyone. Don't even get me started on Bill, who was under pressure from the Ministry to divulge secrets from Gringott's that he'd taken Vows not to divulge, or Fleur who was facing more Veela restrictions via the Ministry. It was stressful."

He nodded a little. "Huh… I guess that makes sense. I just never figured you worried about me."

She scoffed. "I always worry."

"Where _is_ Remus?" Lily asked with a frown. "He missed the train."

"Uh," Adelaide smiled a little. "He's sick again. He said his mum took him straight to school so Madame Pomfrey could make sure he was alright."

Truthfully, school began the day of the full moon, and he'd gotten there early to get to the Shrieking Shack before students arrived for the safety of the students.

"He gets sick a lot," Lily said, concerned. "Is he… okay?"

"Yes," Addy promised. "He's just got a weak immune system."

"I thought wizards were generally much healthier than muggles?"

"Yes," she nodded along. "But we're not all perfectly healthy. For example, I have chronic migraines. It runs in my family."

"That's so interesting," Lily told her, eyes wide. "There's no magic to help your migraines?"

She shrugged. "I haven't really looked into it, honestly. I've been so busy with everything going on that it slipped my mind."

"What's a migraine?" Leon asked her.

"Like a really bad headache that doesn't go away very easily, but they typically have a bunch of bad side effects" she explained. "They're common enough in muggles. I've never met another witch or wizard that has them, though."

"My dad gets them constantly," Lily told her. "He takes muggle medicine for it."

She nodded. "I'd taken some before I went to Hogwarts but stopped because I couldn't have regular check ups."

"I get them with my period," Lily told her.

"What's a period?"

Both girls looked at James in surprise as Leon shook his head in horror. Severus groaned in his seat, lowering his head.

"What?" James asked.

"James," Adelaide laughed. "When girls reach a certain age, they do something called menstruate. They start bleeding-,"

"What?"

"From their vagina," she finished, laughing at the horror on his face. "Because we've got something called a uterus, which holds a baby when we're pregnant. When we _aren't _pregnant, the uterus has to shed the lining of blood so that we don't get sick or damage the uterus or our ability to have kids. And the shedding of the lining comes with a bunch of side effects. The most common is cramping, which happens because the uterus is contracting to rid us of that blood. It typically happens once a month for seven days or so after puberty begins and until we hit menopause. I'm not sure when witches hit menopause, but for muggles it's usually around fifty or sixty."

"Merlin," he whispered, horrified. "That sounds terrifying!"

Lily shook her head. "It's just extremely painful. No one taught you about this?"

Leon shrugged. "Wizards don't learn about this. I only know because I saw my mother taking muggle pills when I was younger and asked why. She told me… though not in nearly as much detail."

"Sev?"

The boy sighed. "Mum told me, too. She knows wizards aren't told about those things and she decided it was wrong. She… basically gave me sex education before leaving for Hogwarts in first year."

"What's sex education?" James frowned.

Adelaide blinked, her curious gaze falling on Lily. "Do you think they have STDs in the Wizard World?"

She shrugged. "I'd assume so."

Adelaide laughed, looking at her friends. "So the first thing you need to know is _consent_. It's the number one most important part of sex… or really any sort of intimacy like kissing, hugging, hand holding, etcetera."

"Consent?" James blinked.

She nodded. "So if you find a witch or wizard and decide you want to have sex - or any of the other things - the first thing you need is consent. There's rules to this. They cannot be drunk or high or otherwise impaired or there is no true consent."

"What happens if there's no consent and it still happens?" The boy looked thoroughly confused, and Adelaide had tensed.

"James," Lily frowned. "If there's no consent and sex happens anyway, that's called rape. It's a really, really bad thing. If it's just like touching or kissing, that's called sexual assault, which is also very bad."

His eyes widened. "My mum told me about that."

Adelaide nodded, tense and visibly anxious. "There's rape and sexual assault, which is when someone is forced to do something they don't want to in terms of sexual acts. It can include a simple kiss, or being touched in places they don't want to be touched or being forced to do something sexual to someone else. There's also sexual harassment, which is like when someone makes sexual comments to someone else that doesn't want those comments."

"That sounds horrible," he whispered.

"Addy, you okay?" Severus asked her quietly, touching her arm. She gave him a tight smile.

"I'm fine. Um… so consent is always the first thing to look for. If it's not given, back off. Always understand that it _can_ be revoked in the middle of acts. If someone gives it and then in the middle of sex, they decide they don't want it anymore, you have to stop."

"That makes sense," James agreed. "Sometimes I decide I want a sandwich and then change my mind."

"Um, that's not quite-,"

Adelaide shook her head at Lily. He understood the concept fine enough. "So after consent is protection. Do you know the spell?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Of course I do," Leon rolled his eyes when she looked at him. "I was eighteen, Granger, do you think I've not had sex before?"

She scrunched up her nose. "Ew!"

"I know it," Severus rolled his eyes at his newly traumatized sister.

"I know the potion," Lily told her with a blush.

"I'll teach you the spell when we get to school," Adelaide promised. "There's one that works for a full year like muggle birth control."

"Oh! Okay."

"Some people have things called STDs," she continued. "Which means Sexually Transmitted Diseases. To protect yourself from them, always use your spells. They wrap your… um, they just ensure the diseases don't get caught."

"How do you know all of this?" James asked her curiously.

"My mum taught me after-," she paused, biting her lip. "She taught me in my third year."

"Why your third year?"

Lily scoffed. "It happened in second year for me."

"_What_ happened?" James asked her, confused.

"Well, that's when boys start looking at us," Lily told them. "Sexually."

"But we're so _young_," James argued. "There's no way they-,"

"Of course they did," Adelaide told him. "Last year, you didn't see Sirius looking at girls?"

James gaped at them.

"He's not the most observant," Lily sighed to her friend.

"Well consider this sex education lesson over," Adelaide told her friends. "I need a nap."

"I can't imagine why," Severus rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, why _didn't _you sleep?" Leon asked

"Sirius," she told them. "My third year was so heavily Sirius based and I keep thinking about him and Reg, worrying."

"Take a nap," Lily suggested. "We've got a few hours."

"Thanks," she smiled, leaning over again to rest her head on James's lap, placing her feet in Severus's lap.

Xx

Adelaide laid on the couch in the common room, a book falling slowly out of her hand as she fell asleep. A blanket was wrapped up in her legs, forgotten in the hours of resting in the same spot.

Regulus stopped as she came into view, the only light being that of the fire nearby. With a deep sigh, he moved forward quietly and plucked the book from her hands, marking the page before closing it. As he adjusted the blanket for her, she shifted, humming sleepily.

"Reg?"

"Yeah," he whispered. "What're you doing up here?"

She blinked her eyes open, wincing at the light in the room. "Waiting for you."

"I'm here," he noted. She picked up her legs for him and he sat, chuckling quietly when she placed her legs right back onto his. "You should be sleeping."

"I was," she replied. "My book, did you-,"

"I marked the page," he assured her. "You should go to bed."

She shook her head, sitting up a little. Her hair had gotten curly over the summer, and she looked different to him…. Tenser, maybe. "I'm worried about you."

"We couldn't write to you," he sighed. "We tried. Mother burned the letters and sent us to stay with Uncle Cygnus for a week."

She winced. "Draco says he's awful."

"Leon," Regulus corrected. "And he is. Bellatrix was staying with him before the wedding."

She shifted, moving until she was sat next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I was so worried."

"I know," he rested his head on hers. He had known she'd be worried - he and Sirius both, but they hadn't been able to do anything about it. "We were worried about you, too, Little Lion."

She made a face. "I hate nicknames. And you remember that I'm older than you, right? And also a Slytherin?"

He laughed. "Technically, I'm older. And you _are_ a Gryffindor, or you were one, and enough of you still is."

She grumbled quietly. "I don't like it."

He grinned at her. "I didn't think you would."

She stuck her tongue out at him like the mature woman she was, making him laugh again. She watched him for a long moment, a smile falling on her lips. "I was so worried."

His laughter died down as he looked back at her. "I know. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she sighed, leaning her head back down onto his shoulder. "It's not your fault."

Silence fell for a moment as they relaxed. He glanced down at her and plucked up a piece of her curly black hair, tugging gently on it. "What happened to your hair?"

She shrugged. "I missed… myself. I asked Aberforth to change it."

"You should get to bed," he suggested softly. She shook her head.

"I'd rather not."

"Addy-,"

"Reg, _no_," she looked up at him. He'd grown significantly over summer, and she guessed he was already taller than her. "I keep having nightmares. I just… I'm not up for it. I'm lucky I wasn't having one when you woke me up."

"Have you tried Dreamless Sleep?" he asked gently.

"I can't take it every night," she reminded him. "It's highly addictive."

He sighed, offering a smile. "How about Occlumency? That always seems to help."

She shrugged. "You need to sleep, Reg. It's late. You have class tomorrow."

"I wasn't planning on sleeping," he rolled his eyes. "Let me do something productive."

"Okay," she sighed, giving in. "I guess so."

He grinned. "Okay!"

She shifted until she sat in the usual position across from him with her legs crossed. He gently placed his hands on her face, staring into her golden eyes. "_Legilimens_!"

The pair fell into a memory she'd been thinking of a lot in the recent days, their ghostly selves standing next to each other, watching the scene.

_Hermione stood at the bottom of the steps, gripping her arm tightly, breathing quick as she watched Death Eaters being arrested. Her eyes fell on Draco, and she stepped up. "No! You can't, he's not-,"_

_A hand grabbed her wrist and tugged her away until she stood in a nearby alcove, slapping at the person holding onto her. "Let me go!"_

"_Granger," Snape hissed. "Stop hitting me!"_

_She looked up, glaring at him. "Let me go!" He did as she asked, pulling his hand away quickly. "What the hell are you doing? You _want _your godson to be arrested?"_

"_Of course not," he snapped. "But he has to be arrested and cleared. You cannot help him."_

"_What about you?" She asked, grabbing her arm again as she felt the blood dripping down. "You're a Death Eater."_

"_Dumbledore sent a letter to Kingsley in his will," the man told her reluctantly, eyeing her injury. "Explaining my situation."_

"_I've got things to do," she said after a long moment. "I need to help rebuild-,"_

_He stopped her from walking away again by grabbing her injured arm. She wasn't able to stop him in time before he raised his arm and began healing her. She hissed in pain as the skin was rinsed off with a jet of water and then knit back together quickly. She tore her hand away the second he was finished and looked at it. _

"_You didn't need to do that," she told him cautiously. _

_He didn't reply and just walked away from her into the castle, leaving her confused. _

Adelaide looked at Regulus, confused. "Is everything okay?"

He shook his head slowly. "Severus becomes a Death Eater."

Her breath left her as she realized the issue. "It's complicated… he became a spy for Dumbledore."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know… I've been trying so hard not to think about him and the things he's done."

He raised an eyebrow. "The things he's done?"

She waved silently to her head and, reluctantly, he raised his hands again, entering her mind quietly.

"_-he no longer remembers who he is. He'd kill his best friend if he crossed his path. Furthermore, he only responds to the call of his own kind."_

_Draco interrupted her with a howl, to which Goyle laughed a little too loudly. Adelaide winced at the sight and focused hard on Snape instead. _

"_Thank you, Mister Malfoy," Snape commented before turning to Hermione. "That is the second time you've spoken out of turn, Miss Granger. Are you incapable of restraining yourself or do you take _pride _in being an insufferable know it all?"_

"_He's got a point," Ron whispered loudly to Harry. _

"_Five points will be taken from Gryffindor," Snape sneered at Hermione, his eyes dark as he turned away. _

The pair looked at each other, and Adelaide saw the same confused anger that she felt.

"I don't… understand," he said finally. "Why was he acting like that? A bad day?"

She snorted. "I've got six years worth of memories of that same attitude. No, it wasn't a bad day."

Regulus shook his head. "But Severus loves you. You're a sister to him. I don't get it."

"Neither do I," she threw her hands up. "And it's been bothering me since I got close to him."

Regulus was silent for a long moment, and she let him think. She still had a hard time wrapping her head around it and she'd had years to think about it. "Maybe you should tell him."

She stared at him in shock. "Excuse me?"

"No, I mean it," he nodded. "If he knows, then he _has_ to do it to preserve the future. Maybe it's truly that simple."

"Reg, he didn't just treat me this way," she explained. "He was horrible to my friends, to all of Gryffindor and basically the entire school. He was only lenient with Slytherin."

"You don't get it," he told her. "If he knows all of that, then he has to do it and _that's _why he does it. All of it."

She bit her lip. "I don't know… it seems like a really bad idea. What if he just becomes so angry and bitter because he already knows it'll happen?"

"Either way, it happens," he reasoned. "You can't change it."

"I'll… consider it."

"Let's keep going," he requested. "We've got a lot to work on."

She agreed quietly, and the pair moved back into position. After that, they rarely stopped to talk in favor of just moving quickly through the memories. Instead of leaving to talk, Regulus asked her questions or commented on memories while they were in her mind so as not to waste time.

They kept working until near dawn when a hand fell on Adelaide's shoulder, startling her into falling against Regulus and forcing them to break contact in possibly the most painful way. She gripped her head and let out a moan, and he pressed a hand to her back, his eyes cutting up to the person who had touched her.

"What do you want, Avery?" He snapped. He'd felt her mind retract as he was forced out and was certain she'd be in a lot of pain, likely for the rest of the day.

"I saw her down here at almost one," the boy defended. "People are going to start getting up soon, I wanted to make sure she got to bed."

"I'll make sure of it," he said stiffly. Avery nodded slowly, looking down at Adelaide, who was still gripping her head.

"Is she okay?"

"_No_, because you broke our fucking contact," Regulus spat.

Avery winced. He was a pureblood and all purebloods were taught Occlumency at a young age. "I'm sorry."

"Leave us alone," Reg snapped. The other boy nodded and rushed down the stairs across the room, leaving them alone again. Once he was gone, Regulus leaned down, rubbing her back gently. "You need to get to bed. Sleep the pain off."

She leaned forward until her head rested against his arm, and he wrapped his other arm around her back. "That fucking _hurts_."

"I've never left your mind without being careful," he explained quietly. "This time, you threw me out because Avery tapped you."

She shook her head. "The common room isn't a good place for this."

"But where else can we go?"

"The Room Of Requirement," she suggested. She sat up again, rubbing her temples. "I'll show you tomorrow. I'm gonna… go sleep for an entire day."

He let out a short laugh. "I'd help you to your dorm, but…"

She rolled her eyes. "Yep. I'm fine. I'll find you when I'm awake."

He nodded and watched her slowly stumble to the stairs down to her dorm, wincing as she grabbed the wall. He didn't hear any crashes and just hoped that meant she was fine.

Xx

Sirius tapped his foot impatiently, looking around the great hall. James nudged him as they approached the table where Regulus sat with Severus and Leon.

"What's wrong with you? She's here somewhere."

"But she wasn't in class!"

James stared at him. "And that's unusual?"

"What's wrong?" Leon asked as the pair sat. "He looks like he's going to have a heart attack."

"We haven't seen Addy all morning," James told them. "He's worried."

"Oh," Regulus frowned. "Yeah, something happened this morning, and-,"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sirius gasped. "Where is she? Is she okay?"

Regulus narrowed his eyes at his brother. "Are you _done_?"

Sirius paused. "Yeah."

"We stayed up last night doing Occlumency, and this morning, Avery interrupted us."

"Interrupted?"

"He startled Addy and she shoved me out of her mind," he explained. "She's in a lot of pain so I told her to get some sleep."

Leon frowned. "Avery… I know that name. Who is he?"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "He's a pureblood. An only child, and his parents died before he got to Hogwarts. He was taken in by the Dolohov family but it's clear he hates them all."

"How so?" James wondered.

"There's something about Dolohov that repulses him," Severus shrugged. "And I'm fairly certain the parents are… unkind."

"Huh."

"Why did he interrupt?" Sirius asked, his mind still on Adelaide.

"Apparently, he saw her up in the middle of the night and wanted to make sure she got to bed before people caught us down there," Regulus rolled his eyes.

Leon snorted. "_Or_ he was going to flirt with her."

Sirius and Regulus both glared at him.

"Wow, you guys are sensitive," he chuckled. "Why's that?"

"We care about her," Sirius defended. "She's like a sister."

Leon raised an eyebrow at Regulus.

"If you've been in her mind as much as I have, I think you'd be a bit sensitive, too."

"Sure."

Xx

For the first two months of Adelaide's third year, she stuck by Sirius's side firmly. When he questioned her about it, she just shook her head and mumbled about memories, which was enough for him to back off.

Eventually, though, everyone grew more and more concerned, and Leon and Regulus both pulled her aside one Saturday morning on their way to breakfast.

"Adelaide, what's going on?" Regulus asked gently. She blinked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"He _means_ that you're obsessively staying around Sirius," Leon commented. "What's happening?"

She breathed out in defeat. So far, she'd avoided all attempts to discuss the matter, but being cornered by the two people that knew about the situation, she was stuck.

"Every year is just… it's hard not to get lost in memories of my first time doing this, and-,"

"And your third year, you punched me and were forced to save Sirius," Leon surmised. "So you're worried he's in danger?"

She shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. It's nothing… logical. But James is here and he's so _familiar_, so close to Harry but so different, and then there's Sirius and I keep thinking about everything he's going to go through… that _we're _going to go through, and I just don't want to leave his side because I know so much."

"But he's going to get suspicious and demand to know why you won't leave his side," Leon pointed out. "You'll have to tell him something then."

She sighed. "I know, it's just… hard. I know everything he's going to go through in the next few years and then in the future… I know more about him than anyone else here, honestly, and it's hard to ignore. I don't want to… just let these things happen."

"But you have to," Regulus reminded her. "Nothing you do can change it, that's not how time works."

"I know," she sagged tiredly. "I'm so worried."

"So," Leon began slowly. "Make him a way out if things get too bad. You're extremely powerful, you could probably make some sort of permanent portkey that works through wards."

She paused to stare at him in surprise. "I… _might_ be able to. I've never made a portkey before, though."

"I'll help you," Leon told her. "I made some for myself during the war, just in case."

She nodded, looking relieved. "Okay. Thank you."

"And you'll stop obsessively following Sirius?" Regulus asked, eyebrow raised. She blushed lightly and nodded.

Xx

The moment Adelaide was given a detention for being wrapped up in her friends' pranks, she knew it was over. She stood in front of Professor McGonagall with her hands crossed behind her, her gut churning.

"And who are you?"

That was the end of it, and she resigned herself to going to her classes regularly again. Or, at least, sticking to the schedule Severus had made her the year before so that she appeared in enough classes that the teachers at least _knew_ who she was.

And that was how she was stood in the DADA classroom next to Leon, gripping his hand tightly as they stared at the shaking wardrobe in front of them and the professor next to it.

Their DADA professor for the year was a woman named Elise Penbrook who, apparently, was an American lawmaker that quit her job to move to Scotland, where she met Dumbledore and took the job.

"Form a line!" Penbrook called, waving her wand at the record player nearby. To Adelaide's surprise, the music that played was the same music Remus had played in his lesson, twenty years in the future.

Adelaide was shoved back and forth until the line finally settled down, and she found herself, luckily, near the back. The only people behind her was Leon, Severus, James, and Sirius. She counted herself lucky that Peter had gotten Dragon Pox and been transferred to St. Mungo's.

She watched the horrible line shorten and kids be dismissed after they successfully cast the spell. She watched a series of holes melt down into melted chocolate on the floor. She watched a clown dance around, half naked, holding onto his body to cover himself. She watched as a woman came out of the wardrobe, and the boy was sent away with instructions to come back after class was over. She watched as the boy in front of her stepped up and turned his niffler into an otter.

And then it was her turn.

Her gut twisted painfully as she was finally at the front, standing in front of the wardrobe.

She had a feeling her boggart wasn't McGonagall telling her she'd failed her O.W.L.s.

The boggart twisted and danced in a blur in the air, struggling to find a shape. She could feel Leon's hand on her arm, and she shook it off, holding her breath as the boggart tried to find her worst fear.

Finally, she could begin to make out a shape… and she saw Sirius with blood dripping from his mouth, lying on the ground.

It shifted again into Harry, his mop of hair pushed back to show his scar. He was lying in Hagrid's arms, limp, and she felt a sob break from her mouth. Leon shifted behind her at the familiar image but didn't try touching her again.

After that, a vision of Bellatrix standing over her with her wand out, torturing her appeared, and she stiffened, feeling phantom pains all over. Luckily for her, Leon moved, stepping in front of Sirius so he couldn't see. He knew she didn't want him to know, not yet.

And then, finally, it settled on the image of Crabbe and Goyle.

She was frozen in place, unable to lift her arm to banish the sight. She shook slightly, and she didn't miss Leon going still behind her. Her breath hitched in her chest as Penbrook moved in front of her and rid her of the boggart. She turned on her heel, pressing her head into Leon's chest with a gasp. Without hesitating, he held her to him, his eyes open and on the newly locked wardrobe in front of him.

"Mister Snape," Penbrook said quietly, moving over to Severus. "Do you know why your sister saw these people?"

"She's had a hard life," Severus answered slowly, confused by the images. "It's not my place to talk about."

"But is she safe?" The woman whispered.

"She is," he told her nervously.

Penbrook looked at the friends and sighed, waving her hand. "Take her to Madame Pomfrey for some calming draught. Class is dismissed."

With those words, Adelaide pulled away and sped from the room, stopping only when they caught up with her on the stairs.

"Adelaide," Leon called. She ignored him, still moving. "Fuck- Granger, stop!"

She spun to look at him, trying to hold back the tears. "What? What do you want?"

"What the hell was that?" he questioned as the boys caught up with her. "Crabbe and Goyle are your greatest fear?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she snapped.

"Addy," James frowned. "That boy… who was he?"

"Not now, James," she muttered, shaking her head.

"But he looked like me… was he dead?"

"No!" She snapped. "Yes… it's complicated."

"Who was he?"

"Your son," she replied as vaguely as possible. "He's fine, he's alive and he's with family."

"My _son_…" James frowned. "And that's your worst fear? Seeing him dead?"

"Yes, one of them," she shook her head. "I shouldn't have come to class."

Sirius grabbed her in a hug from the side, though he had a frown on his face. He didn't speak, rather stood there to comfort her silently.

"Why was he _dead_?"

Adelaide looked at him tiredly. "He had this thing inside of him that could only go away if he died. He was killed and came back. He was only pretending to be dead, but at that moment, I truly thought my best friend had died, just like-," she cut off with a short gasp, but James nodded.

"Like Ron," he said. "You said you were close with him before he died."

She nodded shortly.

"Granger," Leon interrupted. "_Why _are you afraid of Crabbe and Goyle?"

She tensed again, shoving her head into Sirius's chest. "Stop, please. Just let it go."

"Did they… hurt you?" he frowned. "I know they were bad, too, but _I'm _not one of your worst fears-,"

"Yes, they hurt me, very badly, and I'm terrified of them," she snapped, looking up at him. "I'm terrified of them and I have been since fifth year. Now _drop it_."

She watched as some suspicion grew in his mind.

"Addy," Severus muttered. "Let's get you that calming draught."

"I have some in my dorm," she told him, pulling away from Sirius. "Just leave me alone," she said, addressing all of her friends. They watched helplessly as she ran down the stairs to the dungeons, leaving them behind.

Xx

Remus blinked his eyes open. The air smelled like peppermint and old books, a smell he knew belonged to Adelaide. He winced at the bright light and paused to let his eyes adjust before offering her a small smile. She'd fallen asleep next to him again, and he wasn't surprised. She'd been exhausted with trying to brew Wolfsbane every month for him. He'd begged her for the instructions but she'd just scoffed and changed the subject. Which, he thought, was probably a good idea. His wolffish nose made him terrible at potions in general, much to his frustration, and he was very likely to only kill himself by messing it up.

He plucked the pain potion from the bedside table, drinking it down quickly and freezing only when he heard a noise.

"Shit, you stepped on my foot!"

"You were in the way," Sirius hissed back. "Think he's behind this one?"

"Probably," Peter muttered.

And then, to his horror, they opened the curtain hiding him and Adelaide from the rest of the infirmary.

The four boys stared at one another for a long moment, though Sirius's eyes slipped to Adelaide curled up next to him.

"What the fuck?" Sirius said loudly.

Remus scowled as Adelaide shifted in her sleep and put his hand up. "She's sleeping! Be quiet."

"What the hell happened to you?" James gasped. He looked down at the bloody bandages on his chest that came from accidentally throwing himself at a broken door while play fighting with Adelaide's fox form.

"It's just a scratch," he told him.

"Why is Adelaide sleeping in your bed?" Peter asked timidly.

"It's a long story," Remus told them.

"Then tell it," Sirius demanded.

"Not right now!" Remus snapped back. Adelaide shifted again, humming quietly as she looked up. The dim light in the room hid their friends as her eyes took in his injuries.

"Remus," she gasped. "Fuck, I knew we shouldn't have been playing like that. Not with how much worse the transformations have been-,"

She let out a squeal as Remus slapped his hand over her mouth, his other hand pointing beyond the bed. She followed his sight and froze nervously upon seeing their friends… and Peter.

"_Transformations_?" James narrowed his eyes. "Remus, what's going on?"

Remus looked nervously between Adelaide and his friends, practically vibrating in his seat. "Um…"

Adelaide frowned but placed a hand on his chest. "They're your friends. They won't leave."

He looked at her for a long, silent moment. Just when she was sure he'd lie, he fixed his friends with a blank face and nodded. "I'm a werewolf. Adelaide is an animagus and helps me every month."

"A…. werewolf," Peter stuttered, looking at his friend nervously.

"Yes, Pete, that's what he said," Adelaide snapped. "You have a problem?"

"I just don't… understand. Why would Hogwarts let a-,"

"A wizard that needs to learn?" She glared. "Or did you mean something else?"

"N-no."

"That's _cool_!" Sirius laughed. "You can have a pack!"

"It's not- um, it's not cool," Remus muttered, confused. "And I only have one person in my pack - Addy."

"Why not us?" James pouted.

"You have to be an animal, stupid," Adelaide rolled her eyes. "He loves you but he can't have a pack bond with you."

"I have an idea!" Sirius grinned. "Let's become animagus, too!"

Adelaide felt her heart do a flip. It was starting - their journey to the end.

"Yeah!" James grinned. "I hope I'm a dog… Addy, what are you?"

"I'm not telling-,"

"She's a-," Remus began. Adelaide slapped her hand over his mouth to cut him off, pinning him with a glare.

"This is so cool," Sirius looked between his two tired friends. "We can all go out there with you!"

"It's dangerous," Remus disagreed. Adelaide rolled her eyes at him.

"Not if you take your potion," she reminded him. "And even if you don't, we can get hurt but not turned into a werewolf. We're safe. We've had this conversation a million times."

"But they're… not as responsible."

"Hey! I resent that!" James stated, looking not at all offended.

"Fine!" Remus sighed in exasperation. "Fine, I don't care. Just… let us sleep. It's been a long night."

"Rough play?" Sirius grinned, his tone suggestive. Adelaide made a face.

"That's disgusting, Sirius," she replied. Remus turned to her, looking somewhat hurt, and she rubbed her forehead. Whispering to avoid Peter listening in, she replied slowly. "I'm too tired for this. I'm not disgusted by you, but I'm from the future and I happen to know a lot about your future, you dummy."

"What does _that_ mean?" he demanded.

Her eyes slid to Sirius. Tonks was his cousin, and she didn't want to risk telling him anything he didn't need to know. "I'll just say that you have a mate, and she's a good friend… not that I don't love you, but the thought of _dating_ you makes me a little… uncomfortable."

"I… have a mate?" he asked.

"You do," she nodded. "You guys make each other extremely happy."

Sirius narrowed his eyes at her. "Who is she?"

"I'm not telling you," she replied firmly. "So don't even try."

"Come on," he pouted. "It's someone we know, isn't it? Is it Marlene?"

She forced herself not to react as she thought of the way her friend would die someday. "No, of course it isn't."

"Why not?" Remus blinked.

"Yeah, why not?" Sirius laughed as she turned her dark glare on him. "Is he not good enough for her?"

"Shut up!" She snapped. "They just don't fit together."

"Oh… so it's me then," Sirius decided. She threw her hands up in frustration, slipping off of the bed.

"Adelaide," James called. She shook her head.

"I'm going to my dorm to get some actual sleep. If anyone bugs me at all, I'll put you in a full body bind for the full eight hours I plan on sleeping."

Xx

"So," Lily bumped her shoulder gently. "You're adopted."

Adelaide chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, I think I might be."

"I just mean… well, what was your family like before? At home."

She considered the question and if she really wanted to answer it. Eventually, she just shrugged. "My parents did their best. There was just this large disconnect that formed when I came to Hogwarts, and it only grew over the years as things got bad. In my second year, um… well, I got petrified. For months, I didn't communicate with them and apparently they thought I had been killed or something. They only figured it out because they wrote Professor McGonagall and demanded to know if I was okay. And even then, they weren't allowed to visit because they were muggles."

"That's awful," Lily gasped. "So if I got hurt-,"

"Sev or I would write your parents," she assured her friend. "We'd keep them updated, I promise. Probably get you transferred to St. Mungo's so they can visit you."

"Oh… thank you," she smiled sincerely.

"But after second year, things were different. They were upset and I insisted on going back, which only upset them more. Things were tense. I stayed with my friends over Christmas most times. In my third year, I got… attacked by some fifth year Slytherins. I only told my mum because I was so scared. She taught me some things about protecting myself and then argued with me again about coming home. I refused, but…"

"What?"

"Something really bad happened in my fourth year," she sighed. "This man, the terrorist, he came back in an awful way. I had to tell them because my friend warned me that Hogwarts was sending letters to all the parents about it. We fought all summer. They barely let me go back. Fifth year was terrible, and that was… um, that was when my friend died, Ron. Sirius almost died, too. I got hurt multiple times, but... The man that was holding me back from the fight broke my arm and cursed me. And… I only told my parents that Ron died, and only when they forced me to tell them. It was a really dark time."

"What about your sixth and seventh year?"

"Well, sixth year was less eventful. Leon was in a really bad place. I tried to help, but he pushed me away. Actually, he ended our friendship."

"He _did_?" Lily's eyes widened in surprise. "What happened?"

"Well, the terrorist was living in his house. His father had failed this man and was in Azkaban for it. The terrorist wanted to take it out on Leon, so he set him with an impossible task."

"What was it?"

Adelaide hesitated. "Killing Dumbledore."

Lily waited a beat before she realized Adelaide was serious. "Oh my god… did he?"

"No," she shook her head. "But someone else did… it wasn't what we thought at the time. Dumbledore was already dying, almost dead, and he made this person, Leon's godfather, promise to help Leon and kill him if it came down to it."

"That's terrible," Lily whispered. "I can't imagine the wizarding world without Dumbledore."

"Neither could we," she admitted. "But that's the world we live in. And now that the war is over… it's not as bad as expected."

"But you said Leon ended your friendship," Lily said, taking them back to the point. "Why?"

She sighed, running her fingers through her hair and tugging the blanket tighter around her. It was a chilly day and she'd taken a throw blanket outside to sit with her friends, but the Marauders hadn't shown, leaving her alone with Lily as everyone else was busy.

"Honestly, he never told me. I can guess, and I'm almost certain I'm right, but he's never explained it."

"Why then?"

"Because I'm the most famous muggle born witch in the wizarding world," she rolled her eyes. "Because my best friend is incredibly famous."

"Harry."

"Yeah. And that made me a large target. And being friends already put us both in danger, but knowing what he knew and living with Voldemort… I think he just snapped. I think he was trying to protect me."

"But how did he do it?" Lily wondered curiously. "What happened?"

"Um," she frowned. "Well, he was extremely distant that entire year, but there was an accident. Harry was a complete idiot and he got into a fight with Leon. They were throwing curses, hexes, whatever they thought of. But Harry had this book, um… you remember the spell we mentioned last year? Sectumsempra?"

"The one Sev is supposed to create?" Lily nodded.

"Yeah, well, Harry found it in a book, in Severus's old potions book. He used it without knowing what it was, and he almost killed Leon."

"How did he survive?" Lily gasped. "Didn't you say it could only be healed with the counter curse?"

"Yeah, well, Severus… was our potions Professor."

"Oh my _god_!" Lily laughed. "That's great!"

Adelaide winced. "Anyway, he found them and managed to heal Leon. After that, the next time I tried to see him, he did everything he could to push me away."

"What does that mean?"

"It _means_ he resorted back to the nasty name calling he used when we were younger, but this time it hurt more because he was a friend. He called me a mudblood and told me to stay away from him. After that, I did."

"But you guys are friends now," the other girl pointed out. "What happened?"

"The war," Adelaide shrugged. "I knew he was a good man. We both have issues and Malfoy Manor was one of both of our darkest days. After the war was over, he was arrested and cleared when I testified in his defense. We started talking again, but it was only a few weeks later when I was sent to the past, and then he was."

"Wow," Lily breathed. "So you guys must be pretty close."

"We talk a lot," Adelaide shrugged. "It's… healing. He was on the opposite side of the war and talking that out with him helps a lot. It helps him, too. And he helps to heal my long term issues."

"Long term issues?"

She looked at Lily in surprise. "The Cruciatus has severe long term effects. I only manage them with a slew of heavy potions and three sessions of healing per week with Leon."

"What? What long term effects?" Her friend looked panicked as she looked her over, and she just shrugged.

"I constantly shake, there's intense pain, it generally hurts to be touched, not to mention the mental side of things."

Her friend looked horribly startled. "I didn't realize you were… in so much pain."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Lils, I went through a war. I've been in pain for a long time. I'm fine."

"Oh, Addy, that's so sad," Lily frowned, leaning over to pull her into a hug. "I guess… I guess I'm just glad you've got Leon."

She hugged her friend back, nodding a little. "Yeah, me too."

Xx

Adelaide sat in the window seat, staring out at the fish swimming by. It was the middle of the night and nearly everyone had trickled down to bed already. She was left in the common room alone with someone she didn't recognize and Avery, who was heading out into the dungeons carefully, apparently confident in his ability to dodge prefects.

Her mind had drifted back to Severus again. She'd met with Regulus earlier that day for more Occlumency, this time in the Room of Requirement. He'd been shown a memory of Snape, in her fourth year, staring at her horribly enlarged teeth and telling her he didn't see a difference. She'd cried in the memory, and they'd left when she felt a pang of hurt at the memory. He'd suggested once more that she tell him what would need to happen, but she was still unsure.

She knew that the future, the next few years, were going to be troubling. Sirius being disowned would be troublesome enough, but add to that whatever would end the friendship between Severus and the Marauders, and then the disastrous mistake in the Shrieking Shack, and she had enough to deal with, not to mention Regulus and Severus - and Peter - becoming Death Eaters.

She ran her fingers through her hair and rested her head back against the wall, her eyes following a rather large fish swimming in circles nearby. She was tired of stressing over the past and the future at the same time. She had to preserve the past and it was exhausting her.

"Are you alright, Snape?"

She looked up at the unfamiliar voice, frowning. "I'm fine, thanks."

"You don't look fine," the boy replied. He was somewhat in the shadows, as he had been the entire night, and she tensed up at the potential threat, considering Slytherin house wasn't the safest place at the current moment.

"I am," she told him stiffly. "Just want some time alone."

He stepped forward into the lights, moving uncomfortably close to her, and unfortunately, blocking her from moving away. "Tell me what's on your mind."

"The transfiguration quiz," she lied, her voice sharp. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going down to my dorm."

She stood, trying to duck to the side to escape, but was stopped as he grabbed her hip in a tight grip, making her wince at the pain that began radiating through her entire side. Regardless, her hand flew up and she punched him straight in the face, running past him when he staggered back. She was nearly to the stairs when she felt a hex hit her back. She dropped to the floor, frozen in place, her heart racing with fear. She still hadn't really seen his face in favor of trying to escape, but as he stalked over to her, standing above her, the light cast shadows over his familiar pureblood features.

_Dolohov_.

He was young, maybe a year older than her, and she felt her gut twist anxiously as he got to his knees, straddling her. "I just wanted to talk, Snape. You didn't have to hurt me… now I have to hurt you."

She looked around frantically, hoping desperately for someone to come down and find her there, but she had no such luck. He was leaning hard on both of her wrists to hold her down, and she felt twinges of pain through both of her arms. To her surprise, he pointed his wand down at her chest and sent an unfamiliar slicing hex at it, cutting away the fabric of her robes and deep into her chest. A horrible realization of what was happening settled in, and she desperately longed for one of her friends to find her.

"What are these scars?" he whispered, trailing his fingers over the scars from the time turner glass that had broken into her chest. "How… far down do they go?"

She whimpered quietly when he pulled away the rest of her shirt, leaving her in her bra alone. "Stop."

"Oh, I don't think so," he snarled. "You deserve this."

"Get off of me!" She yelled loudly, hoping to attract attention.

He pointed his wand at her throat and silenced her, much to her terror. When he was done with that, he waved it at her skirt, vanishing it completely. She closed her eyes tightly, wishing him away from her.

But just as soon as his hands touched her thighs, squeezing them painfully, he fell off of her… mostly. She opened her eyes again fearfully, confused when she saw him lying partly on top of her and partly on the ground with blood dripping from his head. She looked around but from where she was, she was unable to see anyone. Her eyes shut again, and she felt tears slipping from them. She was frozen and unable to speak.

A hand fell on her arm, and her eyes shot open again, frantically looking around until she found… Avery. She blinked in confusion for a moment until she remembered that he'd left the common room to do something earlier that night. Relief flushed through her as he frowned down at the cut on her chest, healing it quietly, though not as successfully as he obviously wished.

"Adelaide, are you okay?" he whispered. She couldn't reply, however, and just stared up at him desperately. "Are you… did he silence you?" She looked up and down to simulate a nod with her eyes, and he breathed out tensely, pointing his wand at her. "_Finite Incantatum_!"

A sob slipped from her lips the second she was free, and she wiped aggressively at the tears slipping down her cheeks. "Thank you."

He waved his wand in the air, summoning a blanket for her. She let him wrap it around her carefully, watching him moving back toward Dolohov to stare down at him. "What… happened?"

She shrugged, looking down at her hands. "I was just sitting there and he came up to me. He made sure I couldn't get away and he grabbed me, so I hit him and ran, and then…"

"He stopped you," Avery winced, though he seemed unsurprised. "He's… are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," she lied, holding the blanket tightly around herself. "Can you just… can you not say anything to anyone? Including my friends."

"_Why_?" he stared at her in shock. "He's just going to come after you again, you know that, right?"

"I can handle him if I'm expecting it," she waved him off. "I just… I can't deal with them worrying."

"But you're in _danger_," he argued. "You know what he was going to do, right?"

"Of course I fucking know," she snapped shakily. "He's not the first asshole to attack me, Avery. I'll be fine."

The boy hesitated, looking at her nervously. "I'll keep an eye on you. I won't say anything."

"You don't have to-,"

"For my own peace of mind," he promised. "Just say okay."

She sighed. "Okay."

He nodded firmly. "Okay. Um… I tried to heal this, but it won't close. You'll need to see Madame Pomfrey."

"No, actually… you're in the same dorm as Leon, right? Can you get him for me?"

"Sure, but I doubt he'll be able to do anything," Avery shrugged. His eyes fell back on Dolohov. "I'll put him in his bed."

She nodded quietly as he levitated the other boy away from them. Just as he was about to go down the stairs, she took in a breath. "Avery?"

He looked back at her. "Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it," he smiled, disappearing down the steps.

She was in the process of summoning robes from her room when Draco ran up the steps, actually getting hit with her robes in the process. He was thrown to the floor as they sped past him into her arms. "Fuck! What the hell?"

Adelaide felt horror rush through her. She'd thought she'd have more time to change before he got up there, but apparently, Avery had gone to him before putting Dolohov in bed. "Fuck… Draco."

He pulled himself to his feet, taking her in. "What the fuck, Granger? What… why are you… _Merlin_, why are you naked?"

She winced, pulling the blanket tighter around herself. "Will you keep it down? Come here."

He narrowed his eyes at her as he moved over, inspecting her. "What happened?"

She considered whether or not to tell him. She knew he could keep secrets, but she was unsure if he could handle it or not, the entire reason she'd refused to explain why she'd seen his old friends in her Boggart. "Dolohov attacked me."

"_Attacked_?" he scoffed. "You're naked! What sort of-," he cut off, the color draining from his face. She shifted uncomfortably as his eyes flicked over her body, finally settling on her wrists. He reached out and grabbed them gently, and she let him pull them closer to look at. "Oh… Merlin…" she winced as he touched the bruises that had already formed on her wrists, letting out a soft gasp. "Fuck. Did he-,"

"No," she shook her head. "Well, kinda. He was going to, but Avery stopped him."

"_That's_ what he said," Draco muttered. "It sounded like gibberish. All I heard was your name and upstairs."

"I wouldn't have asked him to get you," she bit her lip. "But he cut my chest, and Avery couldn't heal it. And… um, he grabbed me pretty hard, and-,"

"You're in pain," he summarized. "Show me the cut."

She hesitated slightly before shoving away the blanket, wrapping it around her waist now. He didn't even blush at the sight of her bra, much to her surprise, but rather moved closer to look at the cut.

"This is deep," he murmured. "And it's dark magic. That's why he couldn't heal it."

Her mind drifted back to the cut he'd given her on her hip in the future and felt her gut churn. "Is it like-,"

"No," he promised. "Whatever he hit you with in the future was a curse of his own making. He hasn't made it yet. I recognize this one. It's- it's actually meant for… what it did. I assume it cut off your shirt?"

She did her best not to wince at the words. "Yes, it did, but it also cut me."

Draco was unable to look her in the eyes as he spoke. "This… this particular spell is meant for… what he was going to do. It's old and dark and twisted. It's supposed to keep you… um, incapacitated… while he… shit," he whispered, looking sick. "I only know it because Father wanted me to… get a full education."

She didn't reply, feeling disgust fill her chest. He took that as a cue to get started, understanding her need for silence. He twisted the magic slowly out of the wound, working carefully so that she wouldn't lose more blood than she already had.

It took him nearly an hour to pull the dark magic out of the wound, and by that point, dittany wouldn't work. She waved off his apology for the scar she'd have, glad only that it was closed. After that, he moved onto her wrists, gently working his healing magic into her irritated injuries from the Cruciatus. Once he was done with that, he looked at her.

"Anywhere else?"

She hesitated. "No."

"Granger."

"My hip," she admitted. To her surprise, he just nodded and waved for her to let him work. She moved the blanket away, revealing the light bruising on her hip. He winced at the sight but began working on it.

"I can't get rid of these bruises," he told her quietly. "It's been too long. Bruises are really hard to get rid of, anyway. They'll probably go away within a week. This is the last of it though, right?"

She considered lying again but knew it was a lost cause. "I- no, it… no."

He looked up to meet her nervous gaze. His eyes were gentler than she thought she'd ever seen before as he spoke. "Take a deep breath. It's okay. Where else?"

She did as he told her and pointed to the inside of her thighs rather than speaking, taking in the sick look on his face.

"Adelaide-,"

"Please," she stared him in the eyes, her voice shaking as she spoke. "I- I can't."

He nodded shortly and hesitated for only a moment before moving directly in front of her so she could see what he was doing. At his wave of request, she forced her legs open to reveal the bruises and slightly cut skin from his nails digging into her. It was worse than her wrists or her hip, and she felt sick looking at it.

"Draco?" She whispered.

"Hm."

"Don't tell anyone."

His head shot up, and he met her eyes. "_Hermione_-,"

"Please."

He cut off, looking at the complete vulnerability in her. "Will you tell me something?"

"What?"

"You're so… Is this-," he paused with a frustrated sigh. "Has this…"

"Yes, it's happened before," she whispered. To her surprise, he closed his eyes tightly, looking crushed.

"Your Boggart."

"Draco, there's no point," she told him uncomfortably. "We're twenty years away from anyone we know. What's the point of this?"

"I just… need to know."

Rolling her head back against the wall behind her, she nodded quietly. "Yes, my Boggart."

He looked sick as he stared at her thighs, healing them. "When?"

"Fifth year."

He paused, his eyes shooting up to hers. "_What_? Why didn't you tell me? I could've- I don't know. We were friends!"

She closed her eyes, panic rising in her chest. "Please, be quiet. I didn't tell you because there was no point. It happened. It was done. You couldn't change that no matter how you felt about me."

"I wouldn't have stayed friends with them," he told her quietly, sounding defeated.

"You had to," she reminded him. "It wasn't your choice at that point and you know it."

He deflated, working in silence as she tried to calm herself down.

"It's not fair," he told her after nearly ten minutes.

"What?"

"That… it's happened," he tried to explain. "Not to mention more than once."

She laughed humorlessly. "That's _common_, Draco. I'm not the only girl that's been through this. You know Astoria Greengrass?"

He nodded slowly. "We were close."

She paused. "Oh."

His frown deepened. "You're not saying _she_-,"

"It's not important," she told him. "I'm just saying that we are raised to protect ourselves from men, and it still doesn't work."

"You _are_?"

She raised an eyebrow and nodded. "My dad gave me a knife before sending me to school. He did his best to keep me safe. It didn't work."

He leaned back, setting his wand in his lap. He looked completely lost and confused, not to mention worried. She let him process, unsure what to do or say. She'd not told anyone but Ginny about Crabbe and Goyle, and it felt odd that of all people, Draco had figured it out.

"I won't tell anyone," he promised gently. "But if he comes near you-,"

"Feel free to hex his head off," she shrugged. "I don't care."

He nodded firmly. "Okay."

"You should get to sleep," she suggested.

"What are you gonna do?"

She considered the question and decided lying would be best. "I'm going to change and then probably read in bed."

He nodded, obviously relieved. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night, Draco."

He offered her a small smile and walked down the steps to his dorm. Once he was gone, she slipped into her robes and out of the common room, rushing through the castle and casting her Patronus along the way. It swam off faster than she was moving. Much to her relief, the portrait hole was open when she got there, and she moved into the familiar room, relaxing immediately at a sight she hadn't seen in years.

"Addy, what happened?" Sirius asked, guiding her to the couch in front of the fireplace. She sat down with her legs crossed, breathing in the odd smell of the room that reminded her of times sitting with Harry and Ron, joking around.

"Nothing, I'm- it's-," she stopped, taking in a breath. "Bad… really bad night."

He nodded, leaning over to hug her. His arms wrapped around her, and she felt herself flinch aggressively, curling in on herself.

"Addy?"

She felt her chest tighten, tears dripping from her eyes as she squeezed them tightly shut, gasping for breath. "I'm… sorry."

"Shit," he whispered. "Can I- I'm gonna hug you, okay?"

She nodded a little, and this time leaned into the hug, prepared for it. He held her tightly to him, shushing her as he stroked her hair, letting her cry softly into his chest. He smelled like he always did, and for a moment she could pretend that he was the same man that held her as she broke down during the war and held onto secrets of her darkest time, her darkest thoughts that she refused to share with anyone else.

They stayed like that for over an hour until she slowly quieted, sniffling and wiping away her tears roughly. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he promised gently, pulling back to look at her but still holding her gently. "What happened, kitten?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she told him. "Can I stay here tonight?"

"Of course," he agreed. "I'd take you upstairs, but Pete sometimes walks to the bathroom naked, and-,"

"Yeah, no thanks."

"I'll stay down here with you," he promised, kissing her forehead. "You're okay."

His words hit her heart, and she felt a calmness settle inside of her. It wouldn't last, she knew, but still she felt safe with Sirius as she always had. The pair rearranged until they laid on the couch together, resting against one another. She slipped her hand into his and closed her eyes, wishing for a dreamless sleep.

Xx

Remus stopped short at the bottom of the stairs, eyes wide. Barely a moment later, James barrelled into him, sending them both to the floor.

"Ow!" James cried out. "Damn it, Moony, that hurt!"

"Shut up," Remus hissed. "Look!"

"What, at my broken arm?" James complained, rubbing at his wrist. Remus grabbed him and pointed at the couch. He stood, glancing over, only to stop in his tracks. "Oh."

Remus frowned, sniffing the air.

"That's weird, stop," his friend muttered quietly.

"She's been hurt," he hissed back. "I wonder what happened."

"Hurt? How?"

"I don't know," Remus rolled his eyes. "I just smell blood. Plus, she's shaking."

"She is?" James stepped closer to take a look. "Oh, shit."

Sirius shifted, his eyes blinking open at the noise and falling on his friends. "Shut up," he whispered, looking back at Adelaide, rubbing her arm gently. "Go back upstairs."

"What happened, Padfoot?" Remus asked with a frown. "What happened to her?"

"I don't know," Sirius admitted. "She sent me a Patronus begging me to let her in and just broke down. We fell asleep down here. She didn't want to go back to her dorm."

"Do you think someone hurt her?" James wondered quietly. Sirius sighed, nodding a little.

"Something happened. Let's ask Leon later, see if he knows."

"Sirius?"

He glanced back down at her and smiled. "Hey there, kitten. How're you feeling?"

She pressed her head into his chest. "I just… don't want to leave."

He wrapped an arm around her, ignoring his friends, who hadn't left. "You can stay in here today while we're in class."

She nodded but didn't lift her head. "Thank you."

"Addy," he muttered quietly. "I won't push, but… what happened?"

"Don't wanna talk about it," she said again.

"Okay," he sighed, waving at his friends to go away. Reluctantly, Remus pulled James back up the stairs. "Is everything okay with Leon and Reg and Severus?"

She nodded. "Yeah, um… if Avery comes looking for me, just tell him I'm okay, please."

"Why would _Avery_-,"

"Please."

He breathed out slowly. "Yeah. I'll tell him. Just… tell me. Are you okay?"

"No."

Her blunt answer startled him, but he bit his lip and just pulled her tighter in a hug. "I'm worried, kitten."

"I am, too."

He looked down at her in concern, tapping his hand on his side. "I'm gonna skip classes today and stay with you."

"No, I'll be fine," she denied immediately. "I just need a break from… everything."

"I'm staying," he told her firmly.

"Sirius-,"

"Addy, please," he looked at her, trying to show her his desperation. "I'm just going to be worrying all day, otherwise."

Hesitantly, she nodded. "Okay."

"Good," he smiled. "Are you up for breakfast?"

"No!" She replied sharply. She blushed, taking in a deep breath. "Can we just eat up here?"

Much to her relief, he just nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'll sneak into the kitchen as soon as the guys leave."

"Oh," her eyes widened. "Maybe I should go until they leave."

"Um," he laughed nervously. "They already came down and went back up."

She rolled her head back and closed her eyes, embarrassed. "Of course they did."

Xx

"Hey! Leon!"

He turned around in relief, his eyes falling on James and Remus. "Thank Merlin. Have you guys seen Addy?"

They exchanged a look before nodding. "She slept in Gryffindor common room with Sirius. He said she came in and sorta… broke down? And she was hurt?"

It took all of his energy to keep his emotions off of his face. "She's fine."

"Did something happen to Addy?" Regulus asked, frowning. Leon shot a glare at the boy - he knew he could fool the Gryffindors, but Regulus was too smart to believe him.

"Even if it did," he said slowly, looking at all of them. Severus was silent next to him, having heard both him and Avery get into bed late, he'd gotten it out of Leon that morning that she'd been hurt, but not how. "Do you really think she'd want to talk about it? Or tell everyone and have them worry?"

"No, but-,"

"Then respect that," he ordered. "She has trouble being worried over. She's already got me and Avery and now Sirius, you guys need to back off."

"Yeah, what's up with the Avery thing?" James wondered. "She asked us to tell him she's okay."

He waved off the question. "Avery took care of her until he got me."

"I thought he was evil, like Dolohov. They're like brothers, aren't they?"

Leon bit his lip hard. "They are?"

"Yeah," Severus confirmed. "Remember? We told you this. Avery's parents died, so he lives with Dolohov. He has since they were little."

Avery's anger made a little more sense, along with the way he clearly hated the other boy.

"I see." He waved his hand. "Regardless, he's definitely not evil like... Dolohov."

"Dolohov was the guy that held Addy back when her friend died," Remus added in thoughtfully. Leon turned away to hide his face and the way he felt his air leave him.

He'd targeted her in the future. He hurt her in the future. They'd spoken about it the night before but it hadn't settled in until just then. He _knew her_.

"Leon!"

He rubbed at his temples, a headache coming on. "Avery."

The brown haired boy walked over, glancing at everyone nearby. "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Addy's fine," James told him. "She's with Sirius in our dorm."

"Oh," Avery nodded. "Alright. She told you?"

"Yes," James lied.

"_No_," Remus hissed, slapping his friend's chest. "She just slept there and told us to let you know she's alright."

His eyes fell on Leon. "She told you?"

"She did."

"Can we…?"

He nodded, standing from the table to follow Avery from the large room. Once in the hall, Avery put up a privacy ward before speaking.

"He's pretty angry," he told him. "He came up the stairs screaming that he was going to kill her. He thinks she somehow got away. He doesn't know I stopped him."

Leon paled. "Fuck! Shit, she- Merlin's sake…"

"Look, he's dangerous-,"

"Oh, really?" Leon snapped. "Because last night didn't show me that!"

"I don't know what to do. I think we should tell Slughorn."

"No," he shook his head slowly. "I'll find her and tell her. We can protect her, and she's pretty strong when she's not taken by surprise."

"That's not a good idea," Avery argued. "You know what he tried."

"There's no other option," he replied tiredly. "I'll go find her. Just… let me know if it gets worse."

Avery sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah, I will."

Xx

The next few weeks were spent _not_ in classes but rather going to extreme lengths to keep Adelaide away from Dolohov. Her friends noticed, of course, that something was up, but anytime they mentioned it, she snapped at them. For their own safety, they backed off.

She had a firm guard rotation of Avery, Leon, and Sirius - though he still didn't know what had happened. Her only escape from the constant reminder of that night was her Occlumency lessons, when she demanded they leave her and Regulus alone in the Room of Requirement.

She paced in front of him, her hands on her hips, frustration radiating off of her. "Avery I get! You know, he doesn't know me or- he just doesn't know! And Sirius is excusable, sort of, but _Draco_-,"

"Leon-,"

"He's known me for years! He saw me in the war, fought next to me in the final battle! He _knows_ I'm more than capable, and he still does this? I can't bloody well go to the bathroom without one of them losing their minds!" She threw her hands up. "I just don't get it. I'm strong!"

"Adelaide," Regulus interrupted sharply. "I don't know what happened. I don't know why they're following you aside from they obviously think you're in danger. Think of it this way - if Leon knows how powerful you are and he's still worried, don't you think that maybe he's scared that you've run into something you _can't_ beat?"

She paused, considering his suggestion, surprised. "I… _suppose_."

"You know Leon is extremely logical," Regulus reminded her gently. "He doesn't get emotional before considering the facts, and if he did, then there's obviously cause for genuine worry."

She let out a slow breath, settling into the couch next to him, where'd he'd been sitting patiently while she ranted. "You're right."

"I won't ask what happened," he promised her. "Just promise me you'll stay safe."

"I'll do my best," she offered.

"Are we actually doing Occlumency or were you just trying to get away?" he asked, laughing softly at her pout.

"I did want to!" she huffed, crossing her arms again. "You're so annoying."

He laughed louder, rolling his eyes. "You've moved to petty insults, Addy."

She scrunched up her nose at him. "Yeah… sorry."

"Let's get working."

Xx

Adelaide shoved him out of her mind, doubling over from the pain it caused, her breath sucked from her lungs.

"Adelaide!" he breathed, touching her arm. "What the hell?"

"That wasn't-," she cut off, gripping her head. "Wrong memory."

"It was just that demented teacher of yours," he shook his head in confusion. "Are you okay? That was really hard, even I have a bit of a headache."

"I just- not that one."

"Why?"

She whimpered quietly as the pain intensified from the broken bond, shields that had just barely begun falling painfully until the memory was, once again, free of protection. "I don't want to see it."

"You know you'll have to," he told her slowly. "We should do it now rather than later."

She looked at him, blinking at the light. "Can't we just… ignore all of my memories? Forget this and hide forever?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Of course we could. But we aren't going to because you know what would happen."

She rolled her head forward until it settled against his chest, leaning over as she sat in front of him to reach it. "I don't wanna show you… all the dark stuff. I just want to get rid of it."

"It has to come sometime," he told her carefully. "You know I'll be okay."

"No, it's just… it's something that's been on my mind and it's- it's really bad, Reg."

"It has to happen."

"I don't want it to!" She snapped. He stared at her in surprise and she let out a sigh. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, it's just… it's bad."

"You're really scared of this one," he muttered, looking in her eyes.

"...yeah."

"I'll be right here," he told her slowly. "And whatever it is, it's over. You're safe."

Her mind slid back to Dolohov, but she didn't say anything.

She sighed in defeat and looked at him, waving her hand in the air for him to continue. He reached up and she felt the soothing feeling of his mind sliding against hers as he fell into the dreaded memory.

"_Miss Granger," Umbridge smiled sweetly at her. "It's so disappointing that your perfect record is… slipping. All because you won't cooperate."_

"_Just say it like it is," Hermione snapped. "You're just torturing us all for information we won't give you."_

_The woman sighed, walking around her desk to the seat Hermione had been tied to by Crabbe before he'd been dismissed from the room. "You're right. I'm being too… gentle. I didn't want to do this but you've forced my hand."_

"_What?" Hermione glared at her. "What could possibly-,"_

"_The Cruciatus," Umbridge smiled, flipping the picture of Fudge down. "Ought to loosen your tongue, don't you think?"_

_She didn't bother mentioning the illegality of the curse for the simple fact that the woman hadn't cared so far when sending cutting hexes at her. She was always handed off to the Inquisitorial Squad for healing before she was escorted back to her dorm. Typically that meant Daphne Greengrass as the cuts sometimes hit her legs or her chest. The girl was always kind and very worried, and she always hoped it would be Daphne that came for her. She understood then why Crabbe and Goyle had brought her there - they wouldn't have to heal anything deemed inappropriate. _

"_Or," she smiled. "You could tell me now and we won't have to get into this nastiness."_

"_No."_

"_Shame," Umbridge shook her head slowly, as if she actually cared. "Oh well… _Crucio_!"_

_Hermione tensed against the ropes holding her to the chair, letting out a shrill scream into the soundproofed room. The ropes tightened magically in resistance and she threw her head back, the pain lacing through her. The spell held for what was realistically probably five minutes, though it felt like an hour. _

"_Are you ready, Miss Granger? You don't have to go through that again."_

"_I'm not going to tell you anything," she grit out. _

_Umbridge shook her head sadly and pointed her wand at her again. "_Crucio_!"_

_The pain began again and before long, she'd screamed herself raw, her throat dry and sore. Every time she thrashed against the ropes, they pulled tighter, eventually digging into her skin and giving her bruises. She was panting, tears falling down her face and into her mouth by the time the horrible woman stopped again. _

"_Terrible things can happen if you're under the Cruciatus for too long," Umbridge told her sweetly. "Insanity. Death. It's really very sad. We wouldn't want that to happen to you-,"_

"_Headmistress," Snape knocked on the door, though he'd obviously been standing there since before the curse had been lifted from the stiff posture he held. "You are needed in the DADA hall… a swamp has appeared."_

_She scowled, setting her wand on her desk. "Fine. Find Crabbe and Goyle to escort Miss Granger to her dorm."_

_Snape nodded shortly and watched her leave. Hermione looked at him anxiously. _

"_Please, sir, I know Dumbledore trusts you. She's torturing me."_

_His face flashed with something she didn't recognize before his usual emotionless mask fell again. "I will find Misters Crabbe and Goyle."_

_He closed the door behind him and she let out a desperate sob. The ropes were still so tight she was unable to move even a little bit and painful against her new wounds._

"Is this it?" Regulus asked with a frown. "I don't understand."

"No, the… bad part hasn't even begun."

He sucked in a breath and nodded shortly, turning his attention to the slowly opening door.

_She looked up as two large bodies entered the room, and immediately she knew something was off. The looks on their faces were much cockier than usual and they stood tall, staring like she was their dinner. The feeling in her gut, she knew, was one her mother had warned her of - a feeling that a man was about to hurt her. All women have it, her mother had said. And they needed to listen to it. _

_Except she couldn't. _

"_Granger's all tied up, isn't she, Greg?" Crabbe chuckled, running a finger over her shoulders, pushing down the ropes just a little. _

"_Yeah," Goyle grinned, staring at her. "What should we do? Take her back?"_

"_No," Crabbe scoffed. "She's hurt! She probably can't even walk."_

"_Yeah, we don't want her to get _more _hurt."_

_She watched as, to her horror, Goyle's hand slid from his side to over his pants, rubbing. She felt sick looking between them with clear knowledge of what they wanted. _

"_These ropes look like they hurt," Crabbe told her. She didn't reply, but he tugged at them, and she let out a painful whimper as they tightened again, a noise that only made him grin and laugh softly. "I like seeing her hurt…_hearing _her pain."_

"_I have an idea," Goyle muttered. He picked his wand out of his pocket with his free hand and pointed it at her chest. She barely heard the spell he cast but felt it immediately as her muggle shirt vanished from her chest. _

"_Stop!" She managed, coughing a little from the sore throat. "Let me go!"_

"_Oh, she wants to _leave_," he laughed. He stepped closer until his chest was in her face. She felt him rub up against her and felt sick. "I don't think I want her to go yet. We have more fun to have."_

"_Mm," Crabbe hummed. She heard the sound of a zipper and gagged, terrified. _

"_Stop it! Let me go!"_

"_Screaming doesn't help," Crabbe muttered, running a finger over her cheek. "This room's got silencing wards."_

_She was unable to move as Goyle backed up and took his pants off as well. Tears prickled at her eyes again and she wondered if she was going to throw up. Goyle stepped forward and grabbed her throat, pulling her forward until-_

She barely felt it as they aggressively fell out of her mind. For her, the memory was still playing in her head as it had been for a week. She held onto her stomach as her entire body shook, hot tears dripping from her eyes. The memory of that night was one she'd tried to repress ever since it happened, and she let out a loud sob as she leaned forward, holding onto herself. A hand fell onto her back, and she shot up, eyes wide and panicked, to stare at Regulus - a Regulus that didn't look quite right, blurred by the memory behind her eyes.

"Adelaide!" He called, panic coursing through his body. "Adelaide, it's okay! Fuck, Hermione!"

The name, never having come from his lips before, shocked her into stilling to look at him. "R-Reg, I-I can't- I can't-,"

"It's okay," he told her gently, shoving his own panic to the side in favor of trying to help her. "You're okay. I'm here. They're not. You're okay."

She broke down into hot, messy tears, leaning against Regulus as she cried. As soon as she began hyperventilating, he set a hand on her arm and reached over her to grab her beaded bag. She let him, barely aware he'd even done it. He muttered something and then a moment later, tapped her gently. She forced herself to look up and found a bottle in his hand being shoved toward her. Without questioning him, she picked it up and drank down the potion.

Ever so slowly, she calm down. Her breathing returned to normal and then finally, the crying stopped. The memory was still there, though for the moment, it didn't scare her.

"Are you… okay?" He asked her, wincing at the question.

"I'm… sorry," she whispered. "I tried to tell you. I just- I couldn't bring myself to say the words."

"Don't be sorry," he insisted. "I pushed, I asked to see it. It's my own fault. I just didn't… I wasn't expecting… that."

She shrugged lamely in response.

"Were you going to… let it all play?" He asked her quietly.

"It's all I can think about lately," she replied slowly, her voice soft. "So I didn't really notice the difference even when you stopped. I can still- it's like I can still see it right now. It's just… that's what trauma is sometimes. Flashbacks, sorta."

He hesitated, considering his question for a long moment before he asked. "Does anyone- did you tell someone?"

She nodded slowly. "My friend, Ginny. They took me back to my dorm after- when it was over, and she was waiting for me in my bed. I was shaking and crying and had bruises everywhere. She knew when she saw me."

_Everywhere_. The word hit him hard considering the fact that the only ropes holding her to the chair had been across her chest.

"So did they-,"

"No. Nothing happened to them. Um… not long after that memory, like a couple days later, we went to the DOM and Umbridge was gone and Dumbledore was back, so… the Inquisitorial Squad was gone and they didn't have- they had no authority over me. And then everything with Draco-,"

"_What_ with Draco- er, Leon?"

"Just… things were rough that year and being friends was rough. He had a lot on his mind and we didn't talk as often. So I didn't tell him-,"

"Why _not_?" He stared at her in horror. "He was friends with them! I've seen it in your other memories."

"And he didn't know! He had to be friends because Voldemort was already in play. I know he would've told them to go to hell - or even tried to send them there - but that would've raised questions of why he was protecting a mudblood he's supposed to hate."

"Don't say that," Regulus winced. She only shrugged back. "I'm just- I don't know. Seeing that, your thoughts and feelings in the moment was- it's terrifying."

"Yeah."

"How come you've been thinking about it a lot?"

She paused. "Um, there's something called PTSD, and-,"

"But you said specifically lately-,"

"Please stop," she asked him tiredly. "I'm so- I'm just so tired. And… scared."

"Can I ask a question that you don't have to answer?"

"...yes."

He asked before he could change his mind, his desperate need to know outweighing the part of him that would rather never know. "How… _bad_ did it get?"

She laughed humorlessly, her eyes still glowing gold but emptier than he'd ever seen them. "Really fucking bad, Regulus. Stop thinking about it."

"But when you go back," he frowned. "They're still…?"

"No," she sighed. "Goyle died in Fiendfyre and Crabbe was arrested after the war. Tried as a terrorist. He's never leaving Azkaban."

"We didn't put walls over the entire memory," he told her slowly. "Do you want to…. finish?"

"No!" She shook her head. "No, definitely not."

"What are you gonna do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're not going back to your dorm, are you?"

She shrugged lightly. "I don't know. Wander, maybe. Or stay here all night and read."

"I can stay with you."

"No," she scoffed. "I can skip class. You can't."

"Of course I can," he denied. "And I won't. I'll stay with you tonight and go to class tomorrow."

"Reg-,"

"For my own peace of mind," he told her, hesitating as he caught her eyes. "That really scared me, Addy. Let me stay and remind myself that you're okay."

She hesitated. "Okay."

"Thank you," he breathed out in relief. "Thank you."

"Yeah…"

Xx

"Hey! You're gonna hit me!" James yelled, ducking away from Peter. "Put that down, let Sirius do it."

"I can handle it," Peter scowled. "I didn't almost hit you."

"If you don't pour it in just right, it's not gonna work," Sirius reminded him. "Be careful!"

Peter turned to glare at him before promptly throwing the open vile at Sirius, spilling it all over his clothes.

"Wormtail!" James yelled, eyes wide as he watched Sirius shrink down into a pig. "That was the entire potion!"

"He was nagging me!" Peter snapped back. "I'm going back to bed."

"Take Sirius to the infirmary first," Remus suggested tiredly. "Or he's gonna be like that all day."

Peter didn't reply, though he did wave for Sirius to follow him. The transfigured boy staggered along behind him out of the kitchens. James looked at Remus with a pout.

"Our prank."

"Because turning the entire school into pigs was a good idea in the first place," Remus rolled his eyes. "Let's just get to breakfast."

Two flights of stairs and a little more complaining later and they found Adelaide sitting with only Avery at their usual spot.

"Where is everyone?" James wondered, sitting next to her. Remus took a place on her other side, grabbing a cup of tea.

"There's a meeting in Slytherin," she sighed. "I snuck out and Avery followed me."

"Ah," Remus nodded. "Breakfast meetings. What's it about?"

"Brutality against… uh, everyone," she shrugged. "Slughorn wants to know why the entirety of upper class Slytherins are becoming crueler. Apparently a first year hufflepuff got badly hexed by a fourth year. She's been transferred to St. Mungo's for extensive spell damage."

"_Speaking_ of spell damage," James grinned. "Looks like Sirius made it."

Adelaide looked over Avery's head. "Spell damage?"

"Someone got hit with a special potion that turned him into a pig," Remus told her as Sirius stalked over. "At least it got reversed quickly."

Sirius sat down next to Avery, frowning heavily. "I'm gonna kill him."

"_Who_?" She asked, amused.

"Wormtail," he huffed.

She felt her mind drift back to her original third year. Sirius in a tattered prison uniform, his hair matted and his eyes crazy as he looked around the Shrieking Shack. The way he'd demanded to kill Pettigrew and explained what had happened with Remus.

"Addy," James touched her arm. "You in there?"

"Huh?" She blinked at him, shoving the memory deep down again. "Yeah, sorry."

"Where'd you go?" He asked her, bumping shoulders. She rested her head against him, taking a deep breath.

"The future. The past."

He wrapped an arm around her and placed a kiss on top of her head. "Well, you're stuck in the present, so eat your toast."

She chuckled quietly and nodded, leaning up again to do what he said.

"Yaxley!" Avery snapped suddenly, speaking for the first time since he'd sat down. He wasn't very sociable in the mornings especially, something that had given Adelaide a wonderful moment of peace and quiet before most of the Marauders had arrived. "What the hell did you just say?"

Yaxley, a fifth year, raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Why do you care, Avery?"

"What did you say?" Avery repeated, clenching his teeth.

"I just said your friend there is a little young to be such a slut."

Adelaide tensed, and she felt her friends do the same, though Sirius was already on his feet, furious. "What the hell? She is not- don't call her that!"

"Leave it, Sirius," she told him, grabbing for his arm.

"Oh, is this a sore spot?" The older boy taunted. "I'm just saying, with the way she hangs all over each of you it's _obvious _she's sleeping with you."

She froze, her eyes sliding over to the table by the wall where Dolohov sat, laughing with his friends. Avery followed her gaze and saw how she was tense, her eyes wide with the memory in her mind. He stood and before Yaxley even knew what was happening, stunned him.

"Avery!" She gasped. "What the hell?"

He ignored her, stepping away from the table as Penbrook rushed over. She watched them speak quietly for a moment before he was escorted from the Great Hall, likely to detention, as it was a Saturday.

She sat in shock, staring at the place where her friend had just been sitting.

"That was… dramatic," Remus commented, pulling at Sirius to make him sit. "Why'd he do that?"

She glanced at him and shook her head. "No idea," she lied.

Xx

"Wait, where are we going?" Lily asked, running to catch up with Adelaide and Sirius.

"Aberforth owns the Hog's Head," Adelaide explained. "He requested a meeting with me. Sirius won't leave me alone, so…"

"Only because Leon got detention," Sirius cut in.

Adelaide rolled her eyes. "Yes, he got detention. Are you going to get over that?"

"No. He punched Goyle! Everyone's attacking people now." Sirius sighed. "And you won't tell us why, just like with Avery. _He_ made sense. He stunned someone that insulted you. What's up with Leon?"

She ignored his question again, glancing at Lily. "You don't have to come with. I know James and Remus were heading up later, and I think Marlene left early this morning."

Her friend nodded. "I'll go find Marlene and catch up with you both later."

Adelaide nodded and moved ahead, holding onto Sirius's arm.

"Why do you think he wants to see you?" Sirius wondered. "I thought he said minimal contact."

"He did," she rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure. He just said to be here after breakfast. And alone, but-,"

"Not happening," Sirius finished firmly. "You won't tell us why, but they're guarding you from… something. And if they can't, then I'll stay with you and make sure you're okay."

She just hummed back, only vaguely annoyed. Regulus had been right when he said they were only worried, and it eased her irritation greatly. Still, not being left alone was getting on her nerves.

The pair entered the dark bar and Adelaide led them over to the bar, where Aberforth stood, pouring a drink in a cloudy glass. "Adelaide! You… brought Sirius."

He stepped up, nodding at the man. "Wherever she goes, I go!"

Aberforth narrowed his eyes. "And why is that?"

"It's nothing-," Addy tried. Sirius shot her a glare before he answered Abe.

"They won't tell us what happened, but Addy got hurt. Leon and Avery have been guarding her, and Leon is in detention for punching Goyle, and Avery stunned Yaxley, so, I'm here."

Aberforth frowned at Adelaide. "Can I speak with you alone for a moment?"

"No!" Sirius denied. Adelaide rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Sirius, your Uncle is sitting in the back. You can sit with him."

Sirius and Adelaide both looked to the dark corner booth in the back to find Alphard nursing a firewhisky.

"No," Sirius hissed. "We're leaving."

"Sirius," she shook her head. "It doesn't matter, I keep telling you. If what you said is right, he already knows everything."

"Who?" Aberforth frowned nervously.

"But _he_ betrayed you! I'm mad at him, too!"

"Adelaide," Abe hissed. "What happened?"

She looked between them and waved at Sirius. "Go over there and _don't yell_. I'll be over in a minute."

He narrowed his eyes. "Fine, but I'll be watching you."

"Sure."

They watched Sirius stalk over for a moment before she erected a privacy ward and sat on a stool.

"What the hell is going on?" He asked sharply.

"Arcturus took all my present and future memories," she explained quickly, not bothering to ease him into the situation. "I made the mistake last year of letting him look in my mind. Apparently, Alphard fed him information even before he or Orion approached me."

"You don't trust them," Abe nodded. "I see."

"It's hard to," she shrugged.

"And why is Leon punching kids?"

She looked away, glancing at Sirius, who was whispering furiously at his uncle. Alphard has his hands out in front of him defensively, trying to talk him down. It wasn't working. "It's a long story."

"Adelaide-,"

"It's very personal."

Aberforth sighed. "I understand that, but if we're to protect you, I need to know."

She stared at him, frustrated. "His son hurt me very badly. So did Crabbe's son. Leon was friends with them in school and just recently found out about it. He's angry."

The man, thankfully, did not ask for further details. "And Avery? You're close with him now?"

She knew there was very little of a way to avoid this one, so she leaned against the bar and avoided eye contact. "A while ago, I was in the common room. It was late. Avery left to do something and I was left with Dolohov. He attacked me. He almost hurt me very badly, but Avery managed to come in and help me. Dolohov is holding a pretty bad grudge about it and wants to… Avery said he said something about killing me, I guess."

Aberforth fixed her with a dark look. "You're not supposed to be making enemies."

Her gut twisted. "So you would rather I just let him-," she stopped short, sucking in a breath. "Just let him hurt me?"

Aberforth caught the pause and frowned at her. "What exactly did he do?"

She shot him a glare. "That's not important. Is there anything else you need?"

"Avery, you trust him?"

She paused to think about the question. "I think so. I've spoken to him on and off since first year and he's an interesting person. He's protective of me for no reason other than I'm in danger and he likes me."

"You think he needs to know," Aberforth guessed. She blushed.

"I do. He's been around my friends a lot lately and they're not great at keeping secrets when speaking in groups. It's a wonder Pettigrew doesn't know. I think he's really just that dumb, to be honest. Avery has caught a few things here and there. He's suspicious."

"He stunned Yaxley."

She threw her hands up. "He said something that upset me pretty badly. Avery stunned him and received three detentions for it, which was ridiculous, really."

Aberforth sighed. "You should tell him, but _no one else. _Too many know already, and you've only been here for three years."

"I know," she sighed.

"Go see Alphard," Aberforth waved away her wards. "Looks like Sirius is done with him."

She chuckled quietly and nodded, walking quickly back to the booth. She slid in beside Sirius and stared at Alphard.

"Adelaide," he greeted with a cautious smile.

"Alphard," she replied, eyebrow raised. They stared at each other for a long moment, just waiting to see who would break first. In the end, it was Sirius.

"Just yell at him!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration. "Aren't you mad?"

"I'm only unsure of how much I should trust him," she replied to her friend. "I always assumed any information I gave only went to him, but…"

"Arcturus is my patriarch," Alphard told her gently. "And despite his questionable ways, he's generally a good man. He is no threat to you."

"He _invaded_ my mind!" She snapped. "Last time someone did that, they tortured me for hours! _And_ she's a part of your house!"

Sirius looked at her in shock. "What?"

She faltered, looking at her friend. She'd forgotten she hadn't told him. "Sirius-,"

"You said you couldn't say," he frowned. "I didn't push because it's obviously a sore spot, but… my own house?"

"She can't hurt me," she tried. "She's dead in the future."

"Who is it though?"

Adelaide exchanged a dark look with Alphard, who shrugged. She knew he wouldn't say anything, but Sirius leaving the subject alone was unlikely. "Bellatrix."

Sirius let out a loud string of curses as he threw his head back against the booth. "What the fuck? She's dangerous! How did you even get near her?"

She fixed him with a glare. "I _told_ you. We got captured. For god's sake, Sirius, we didn't have a choice! We were taken there and it would've been fine but I had something in my bag that she thought was in her vaults, and there was something else valuable in her vaults that helped us end the war. So she tortured me for that information, assuming we'd been in there. We literally could not have ended the war if it hadn't happened so it's _fine_."

He sighed in frustration. She agreed.

"Adelaide, I just wanted to check on your core," Alphard explained, breaking the stiff moment. "I need to make sure it's not still growing."

She blinked. "You think that's possible?"

"We have to be safe."

She sighed and looked over at Aberforth. He waved toward the stairs, and soon the entire group was in a small, dirty room with Addy lying on the bed while Alphard cast the spell to check her core. She did her best not to shift impatiently while he worked, but it was taking longer than usual and making her nervous.

Finally, after nearly five minutes, he lowered his wand. "Okay… first off, your core is the same size and presumably the same strength."

"But?"

"That time magic inside of you? The magic that let you go through the Veil?"

"What?"

He ran his fingers through his hair and shrugged. "It's separated from your magic. It's sort of… floating on top. All of that extra magic that expanded to fill your body and grow your core is now organic. It's being produced by you now. The stuff that _isn't _is sitting atop you, sort of… bonding with your body."

"But what does that mean?"

He considered the question. "It's like your eyes. They absorbed that energy, that magic, and it shows in your eyes. Now, I'm not saying your body is going to start glowing, but… I am saying that you're more powerful than expected. I suggest we track this over the years, possibly for the rest of your life."

"I don't _feel_ different," she frowned.

"But the magic is available. It's not pushing it out like it did last year, it's only available if you need it. You could probably hold a shield for… a _very_ long time without even getting tired. You can do wandless magic, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Good. That'll help protect you. Just be careful, there are ways to prevent one from using wandless magic. Certain spells, some of them are common, like Stupefy or anything else that revokes movement."

She nodded, standing from the bed. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind."

"Can we go?" Sirius asked, tugging his uncle's sleeve. Apparently, he'd forgiven the man in the time it took them to come upstairs.

"Sure," Alphard laughed. "Both of you keep in touch, okay?"

The pair nodded their agreement and ran out of the room, hopeful to enjoy the rest of the Hogsmeade weekend.

Xx

Adelaide turned in circles around the room, her hands clenched into fists as she stared at the impossible sight.

Before her was a frozen vision of the Final Battle. Harry lay waiting in Hagrid's arms. Bellatrix walked just behind Voldemort, who strode confidently forward, and Lucius stood to the side with Narcissa, staring at their son.

Across from them was Hermione. She stood next to Sirius, clutching his side. He gripped her to his chest tightly, and she blinked at the sight in front of her. Next to them were the Weasley's - all of them sobbing but no one harder than Ginny, who was being held back by Arthur. To her other side was Neville, standing with McGonagall in horror. Off to the side, somewhat alone, stood Draco, his hands limply by his side as his heart broke.

A hand fell on her shoulder and she jumped slightly.

"Stop that," Regulus muttered. "I told you this is a bad idea."

"It's the best way," she argued again, kicking a piece of rubble. She felt her hands shaking and was unsure of whether it came from the torture she'd endured or if it was from the horribly vivid memory, and the upcoming conversations. "This is possibly the most telling thing I saw during the war to prove it. Everyone… here, light and dark."

A soft knock landed on the door and Regulus moved swiftly over, raising a hand to ensure she didn't move. She nodded and let him handle it, glancing around the room. She took a few steps forward until she stood in front of Hagrid. Unable to stop herself, she reached out for Harry's hand dangling freely. Before she could touch it, she was interrupted.

"Adelaide."

She turned quickly to spot Regulus standing behind Avery. The older boy glanced at the sight around them in confusion. "What is this?"

She sucked in a breath and plastered a smile over her heartbreak. "This is, um, a memory. Of mine. This room can recreate anything. There's… some things I'd like to show you."

He blinked, glancing around. "Is this _Hogwarts_?"

She nodded at him, striding over to where he stood. He was looking mainly at the castle, which was fine for the moment. "Yes, it is. What else do you see?"

He frowned at her question and moved forward to look at the people now. "I recognize… is that Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy?"

She nodded. It made sense he knew them first. "Yes, it is."

Clearly understanding she wanted him to continue, he turned on his heel to look at the other side. "Merlin!"

She followed his gaze.

"Is that _Sirius_?"

"Yeah."

"Who.. I can't see her face too well, who is he holding?"

She nodded. "Right, um… Hold on." She closed her eyes and silently communicated with the Room, asking it to move the memory ahead to when she'd moved away from Sirius and toward Neville.

"Shit," he whispered. "What is this?"

"Who is it, Avery?"

He glanced between her and the older version of herself a few times before making eye contact. "That's _you_. How?"

"Sirius is old," she pointed out. "He's thirty-seven."

"I don't understand," he frowned. "What you're implying is impossible, Adelaide."

"I promise it isn't," Regulus cut in. "Go look at the boy Hagrid was holding - he's on the ground now."

Avery did as he said and kneeled down. Soon, his head shot around to look at them. "This looks like… James. But he's younger than Sirius?"

"Because that's his son," Adelaide told him.

Avery stood and moved over. The same calm look fell over his face, and Adelaide was glad to know he could hold that in any situation. "Explain."

"I'm from the future," she shrugged. "It's pretty simple."

"Then what's going on here?" He asked. "I see Sirius but no Remus or James or Peter."

She did her best not to scowl. "Remus and his wife were injured in battle. James wasn't there and Peter was dead. Died a few weeks prior to the final battle."

"And what is it? What's happening?"

"It's a war, Avery," she said plainly. "There's a man that's going to show up very soon and his war will last over two decades with a fourteen year break. We finished it, though. He's dead and most of his followers have been arrested."

"How old are you?" He asked, waving his hand through her face. She shimmered slightly before solidifying again.

"In this image, I'm nineteen. Right now, I'm… twenty two? It doesn't matter. The potion I took makes me officially the age I'm pretending to be, which is thirteen."

"But if you're from the future, why are you here? Are you changing something?"

She scoffed. "No. We can't change anything, ever. It would create a paradox and we _cannot_ create paradoxes unless we want to destroy the universe."

"So?"

"Oh," she nodded. Closing her eyes, she requested a memory to be played- or at least, part of one. The battlefield changed to a vision of Hermione running up the stairs with three familiar men behind her. She opened a door and was promptly hit with a prank box. The memory skipped to her landing in the Hog's Head. They finished the memory when she was de-aged and given to Sarah Snape, and she turned to look at her friend.

"You're from the future," he blinked. "Okay."

"Okay?" She stared at him in shock. "That's all?"

He looked between her and Regulus. "You having gone through war explains why you don't care as much about…"

She bit her lip and tried not to show her shock. It was a great cover but also completely wrong. "Right. So… I'm telling you this because my friends accidentally found out and they're terrible secret keepers. The fact that Pettigrew doesn't know is a miracle. Aberforth gave me the go ahead to tell you."

"Change the room, Little Lion," Regulus suggested, waving at a vision of Sarah Snape looking ridiculous with her mouth open and one eye closed as she blinked.

Adelaide narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you ever going to stop?"

He smiled at her. "Calling you that? Absolutely never."

Scowling, she changed the room back to the comfortable one she always used - a replica of Gryffindor common rooms.

"So, I've got a question," Avery told her as they sat down by the fire. She threw her legs over Regulus's lap and leaned back against the arm of the couch.

"I imagine you've got a few. What's up?"

"How many of us do you know in the future?"

She hummed. "Severus, Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore and Aberforth, um… I know a few people's kids? There's more that I just know in passing or know about."

"Of the Slytherin's," he told her. "Anyone aside from Severus?"

She furrowed her brow, staring down at her arm. "Not closely and not fondly."

"Who?"

"That's enough," Regulus cut in.

"No, it's okay," she shrugged. "Maybe it's good if he knows."

"_Why_?"

She looked between them before her gaze settled on Avery. "In my fifth year, there was a fight in the Department of Mysteries. Lots of my friends and lots of adults in a secret Order were there, as well as these terrorists - Death Eaters. Except I was being held back, the only one of everyone. Dolohov held onto me and cursed me before he left and I was rescued. He made me watch my best friend be killed."

Avery was frozen in place, his eyes boring into her head.

"Addy?" Regulus tapped her leg. She tore her gaze away from Avery and looked at him.

"That thing that I won't tell anyone about? Dolohov attacked me," she explained slowly. "Avery saved me."

A dark understanding passed over him. "Leon knows too?"

"He… healed me," she winced at the sharp anger in Regulus's eyes. "It wasn't a big deal, just some bruises and the- the other thing."

Regulus nodded quickly.

"Other thing?" Avery looked between them.

"It's nothing," she muttered. "Other questions?"

"Yeah, what's this other thing?"

She scowled. "It's just an old injury. He irritated it."

"What happened?"

She let out a slow breath. "I was tortured. For hours by Bellatrix. I've got long term effects that were recently worsened because I made a dumb decision that essentially put me through it again but in a child's body."

"_Very_ dumb," Regulus added in.

"Merlin," Avery breathed. "He grabbed you pretty tight, your wrists alone were-,"

"He _grabbed _you?" Regulus frowned. She shifted uncomfortably under his stare.

"Avery, you had another question?"

The look she gave him held not a request but a demand, and he didn't mind helping her. "What are you doing here then?"

She nodded. "Waiting. Aberforth is working on finding me and Leon a way back, and-,"

"Leon?"

"Oh," she blinked. "Yeah, he's from the future, too."

"Sure, why not?" Avery rolled his eyes. "But you've heard of some people in passing. Who?"

She hummed as she thought about it. "Like Marlene. Sirius told me about her one night, and he told Harry, too. I met Alice and Frank once. Regulus's mum has a portrait in her home that won't come off the wall, so she's called me a few select names over the years. Uh… then there's Yaxley and… er, you, I think."

He blinked in surprise. "Me?"

She shrugged. "I did a lot of research into the people involved in the first war. Your name popped up with Sev and Regulus's."

"What do you know?" Avery asked her, curious about his life.

Regulus looked at Adelaide. "She knew a little too much about me. I figured it out and I wish I hadn't. Maybe it's better not to ask."

She shook her head. "No, actually, I don't know much. Only an estimated date of death because you were missing but it's definitely not certain, just a guess. Aside from that, I know that you were pulled into the wrong side of the war, and I can only assume that was Dolohov's doing, now."

Avery hummed. "My family has a long history of an affinity for dark magic. We often created our own curses when none fit our needs. If there really is a war coming, this terrorist likely knows that. I'd assume it won't be Dolohov but rather someone else that has that information… Dolohov hates me."

"A few of my friends are going to be drawn in," she admitted. "Including both of you. I'm just hoping it's for good reasons."

"Aren't you worried about telling us this much?" Avery asked her, glancing at Regulus.

She tilted her head as she found her words. "Only a little. I trust you both to be logical in your decisions. There's only one thing I'd have kept from Regulus but… well, he knows now. Everyone else has a lot of trauma ahead of them. I'd rather let them enjoy their lives right now."

Regulus tapped her knee gently. "Mother is already close with Riddle. She has already offered both of us."

"Great," she muttered. "I'd hoped there was at least another year."

"You know a lot about what's going to happen, don't you?" Avery asked her. She shifted until she leaned against Regulus with her legs curled under her.

"I do. I know some important things about the next few years, and I did a lot of research about the first war in general, plus my best friend in the future, Harry, has a large connection to both wars."

"Anything you can share?"

"Not exactly," she sighed. "I wish I could, but too much in the next few years has the potential to be changed if someone knows."

"I've got a question."

She rolled her eyes. "I'd be surprised if you didn't have more."

"You said you did something stupid," he reminded her. "What happened?"

She didn't reply, but Regulus did, all too ready to complain about her.

"She drank a potion that, when I'm eighteen, I'll drink. It put her through the torture she endured before. The potion and torture combined almost killed her."

"_Why_?"

"Because now that I know what it is, I can save him," she snapped, glaring at Regulus. "It might not have been well thought out but I don't regret it."

"If Leon hadn't been there, you'd be dead!"

She shook her head in denial. "Dorea made sure her elf would come when I called!"

Regulus snorted. "Addy, you were passed out. You couldn't have called her."

She waved him off. "I was fine."

"You almost died," he said again.

"My biggest worries are Dolohov and your father and grandfather… and Voldemort, I guess. And Pettigrew."

"Pettigrew?" Avery cut in.

"He's an evil bastard."

"Technically, he's not a bastard," Regulus told her. "And we don't know that he's evil yet. If Riddle is recruiting school kids, he's starting with the Black family - with Sirius and I."

"He's got Bellatrix, he'll have Lucius and then Narcissa unofficially. I've already told you Andromeda won't join-,"

"Which makes sense after she ran away last year," Regulus added in.

"So yes, he's going after you two first. I think I know how this'll go. The other pureblood children will be recruited and Severus will be surrounded by them and fifth year-,"

"Fifth year?" Avery spoke up.

She waved him off. "Something happens, Harry didn't tell me much aside from he called Lily a mudblood and she ended that friendship when he refused to apologize."

"Merlin's sake," Avery breathed. "They're best friends. What could happen that he does that?"

Adelaide shared a hesitant look with Regulus. "We're not sure."

"So, who all is expected to join this man? If I am, I'd like to create friendly relationships with them," Avery explained. She smiled at him and his willingness to fall into his role.

"Regulus, Severus, Yaxley, Dolohov, the Carrow twins, Mulciber, Nott, the Lestrange brothers, obviously Bellatrix, Rosier, Rowle, Selwyn, and… um, Macnair, I think. That's all I can remember. I think they're mostly all in school right now but I'm not sure. He gained a lot of followers before the second war so I'm not certain who had just joined. Most from the first war went unnamed so those are the best I've got."

"Mulciber graduated last year and Nott is in his forties," Avery told her slowly. "Obviously Bellatrix and Rodolphus aren't in school but Rabastan is in our year."

She frowned, looking away from Regulus. "Also… uh, Crabbe and Goyle."

Regulus tensed beside her and she noted vaguely that he needed to learn to cover up that gut reaction if only for her sake.

Avery was smart and knew something was up, though he obviously saw her guarded look and didn't ask. "Right. Leon punched Goyle so I'm going to go ahead and stay away from them. I've heard nasty things about them, anyway."

Tiredly, she nodded. "Any more questions? I figured we can stay and answer as much as possible tonight and get it out of the way now."

He blinked at her as his long list of questions came to mind again. "This is going to be a long night."

Xx

Christmas was spent at Potter Manor. Sarah Snape had been invited, along with Lyall and Hope Lupin so that Remus could stay. James's birthday was December 23rd, and his parents allowed him to keep all of his friends over for the entire break as a present to him, though he'd told them that he suspected they just loved them too much anyways. So, with that being the case, everyone - Adelaide, Leon, Severus, Remus, and Peter - stayed for the entire break. Lily had promised to come for the ball but wanted to see her family as her mother was having some health issues.

There was a notable absence that set Adelaide's nerves on edge - Sirius and Regulus had been taken home by Walburga and had declined their invitations to the New Year's Ball. Her gut churned every time she thought about them, which, it seemed, was a lot.

Their third night there, she finally managed to slip away and get some alone time. She sat in her large, comfortable room - the same one as last year - and leaned back on the bed, her mind drifting to the issue that had been bothering her more and more.

Severus.

He had been _so cruel_. He'd become Neville's biggest fear before the war. He had flat out ignored the danger she'd been in multiple times, even just by other students, and when he'd seen her teeth overgrown by Draco, he'd scoffed and told her she looked the same. He might've been good in the end, and she had begun to repair her relationship with the older man, but… he still caused her a great deal of hurt. And she still didn't know why.

"Adelaide?"

Her breath caught at the sudden noise and she rolled on her side to look at the door. "H-hey."

"You okay?"

"I have a lot on my mind," she told him. "I'll be fine."

"Tell me," Severus requested, shutting the door behind him as he made his way over to sit on the bed.

She pursed her lips. "I don't think I can."

"You tell me things sometimes," he pointed out. "This is different?"

"This is you," she nodded. "I told Regulus _his_ future. He didn't appreciate it."

"I'm not him," Severus told her simply. "What is it?"

"He keeps telling me to tell you," she muttered. "He thinks you only did these things because you knew you had to because I told you, but…" she shook her head slowly and lowered it back into her pillow. "He could be wrong?"

Severus put a gentle hand on her back. "Tell me."

Without lifting her face from the pillow, she did as he asked, ignoring everything inside of her that told her not to. "In the future, you're my potions professor… or you were. You were also a part of the terrorist's group. You worked with him. But when you were working with Dumbledore…" she sighed. "There's just a lot that happened that I've been struggling with."

He looked at her hesitantly. "What happened?"

"You know Legilimency right?"

He blinked. "Yeah, of course."

"I'll show you," she offered, sitting up onto her knees to look at him. "I can't- I'll just show you."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" he frowned at her. "You and Regulus haven't finished building the walls in your mind, have you?"

She shook her head. "No, but you won't hurt me or invade my mind."

"Yes, but-,"

"If you want to know," she told him. "I can only show you. I don't really think you'll believe me otherwise."

"Fine," he shook his head reluctantly. She scooted forward and stared him in the eyes, waiting. He frowned in concentration and cast the spell quietly.

_They fell into a memory she'd shown Regulus - the one she'd been thinking about earlier. She watched him as he watched his older self tell Hermione she looked perfectly normal, and she saw the horror on his younger self as she ran off crying. _

_The pair slipped into a different memory, one of him forcing Neville's toad, Trevor, to drink his potion. Luckily, Hermione had hurriedly helped him fix the potion and so the toad was only a little bit sick. She helped him by cleaning up his work area so he could take Trevor to Madame Pomfrey. _

_After that was a horrible moment during the final battle. She'd been separated from Harry and even Sirius and was fighting a masked Death Eater. He managed to throw a curse at her that she couldn't block and it hit her wrist, which only made her drop her wand. The man was hit by Parvati with an unknown hex that flew the mask off his face, revealing Dolohov's sharp pureblood face and messy black hair. Dolohov turned to hit her but she was already engaging with another Death Eater. He turned back to find Hermione searching for her wand and tossed ropes at her, sending her back to the ground. He slowly made his way over to her and leaned over, kneeling on top of her. She let out a scream for help that was ignored by everyone, and he touched her cheek gently. _

"_I love seeing that fear in you… it's intoxicating. I've dreamt of it for years." _

_She let out another scream for help, this time attracting the attention of Snape, who was passing by. He stopped short at her scream and looked down at the scene with an unreadable face. _

"_Please, Professor, help me!" _

_He looked in her brown eyes for a long moment before he rushed off without saying a word, leaving her to Dolohov. _

_Luckily for Hermione, a hand flew into Dolohov's face and knocked the man off of her. She looked up in wonder as Sirius removed the ropes from around her and helped her up into a tight hug, holding her face as he looked her over. He looked manic himself and absolutely terrified for her, though extremely relieved to have found her. _

Severus pulled gently from her mind when she tapped his arm and stared at her with wide, confused eyes. "I don't understand."

"I've been so conflicted," she told him quietly. "I don't get it. I don't understand _why_ you'd treat me like that for so long with such clear hatred. I didn't even understand it then. From the beginning you hated me and I hadn't done anything except maybe be a little over enthusiastic. I sort of assumed you hated me for being muggleborn but even then…" She shook her head, confused. She knew this younger version of him wouldn't know either, but the hurt was just too much to stay quiet.

He looked confused and pained as he stared at her. His mind raced as he tried to process the things he'd seen in her memories. "I- I don't get it."

"Regulus thinks you did it because I told you what you did… like I am now. And it's the only thing that makes sense, except…"

"What?"

"I know a lot about the future," she told him. "You're gonna hurt, Sev. And I know how. And I can't stop it, and so… maybe you just come to hate me for it. Because I can't do anything. And even if you _did_ do it because I told you, then at some point some of that hatred… it had to become real, didn't it?"

"Addy-,"

"No, but you saw that," she told him, trying and failing not to cry. "You didn't care. If he'd killed me or… he could've, and you walked away, and-,"

"Addy, stop," he told her, grabbing her arm gently to pull her over to him. She collapsed into his lap and let him hug her. "I'm so sorry."

"I wanna- I just wanna fix it so when I go back, you don't hate me," she told him, swiping away tears. "I don't know how to fix it, Sev."

"Adelaide," he whispered, touching her cheek. "I promise I won't hate you."

"You can't," she denied immediately. "You don't know what happens."

"No matter what," he said seriously. "No matter how I get hurt, who dies in this war, I won't hate you because it's not your fault. You might know about it but I know you can't do anything. Whatever that was - whatever reason I did those things… it's not because I hate you or because I don't love you and I promise that when you go back to the future, I'll love you just as much as I do now."

She let out a sob and burrowed her head into his chest, crying. "It didn't hurt as much when I didn't know about this… when you were just my professor and not my best friend, my brother."

"Adelaide," he muttered, grabbing her face gently. "I promised to protect you and I won't break that. I will take care of you whenever I possibly can. I know I won't be able to do that in the future but while you're here with me, I will. And when you go back, I will."

She sniffled, nodding at him. "I wish I could do something to- to stop you from hurting."

"Just forgive me," he requested. Her eyes widened in confusion but he put a hand up to stop her from talking. "For hurting you like that, Addy. I doubt what you've shown me is all of it or even the worst of it. I hurt you, emotionally abused you for years."

She winced at the words. "Stop it."

"Addy," he sighed. "Only you - and probably Regulus - know what I've done. All I can do is apologize for it."

"Apologize when you're older," she told him. "When you know what's happened and know if you're really sorry or if you… hate me."

He stared at her sadly but nodded. "I will."

"Thank you."

Xx

The ball was a long affair and Adelaide used the time to talk with Fabian and Gideon again. The twins snuck her outside and cast warming charms every five minutes so they could have some privacy.

"I saw Arcturus earlier," Fabian nudged her. "No Sirius or Regulus or their parents."

She scowled. "Yeah. Walburga hates me and she refused to let them come or see us. I've been avoiding Arcturus to the best of my ability with James's help."

"I still don't like this situation, Pip," Gideon told her. "You seem capable but against Arcturus if he ever attacked you…"

She waved off his concern. "I'm more than capable. You'd be surprised."

"I have an idea," Fabian winked at her. "Let's duel. We can teach you what we know and you can show us what you know."

Her eyes lit up in excitement. "I'd love to!" She hadn't dueled since the war. No one had felt like it and assumed she hadn't, either. Truthfully, she felt like she was letting her talents go to waste. Sirius had really helped her catch up to Harry's skill level when they were on the run, and she'd mixed spells and combined them until they were nigh unrecognizable.

"Sounds good. We'll stop by tomorrow and then see you again when school lets out," Gideon suggested. "You look much too excited for this."

She laughed, throwing her head back. "You'll be surprised by how good I am. I'm… much ahead of my year."

The pair eyed her suspiciously as she moved back inside to find a hot chocolate, leaving them to consider her words.

Xx

The following day found her, Leon, Severus, and James in the heated grounds with the Prewett twins. There was no snow on the ground, a large warming ward having been cast over the area for the meeting.

"Okay! Since she's so eager to show off, we'll have Fabian and Adelaide duel first," Gideon called out. James chuckled to himself and leaned back. Leon, however, merely rolled his eyes at his friend. Severus was pulling his jacket off and setting it down while the pair situated themselves on the makeshift stage they'd transfigured. "Meet in the middle and raise your wands!"

The pair did as asked, Fabian raising an eyebrow at her at the same time. Gideon counted from five to one and, barely a second after he called the match, Adelaide had her hand out in front of her holding a large shield while her wand still pointed at Fabian, throwing out a harmless _Expelliarmus_ that was deflected easily.

"Woah," Fabian breathed, taking in the all encompassing shield she held. "Merlin's beard, she's powerful!"

"Focus, you dimwit," Gideon called out. Fabian nodded and went back to strategizing.

Adelaide, however, already had a plan. It was one that worked for most everyone as _no one_ ever expected it save for Harry who had taught it to her. She silently cast the spell and sent the otter into Fabian's face. It flew into him as she threw off _rectumsempra_ and a stunner at the same time, dropping him to the ground as the other spell tickled him, forcing him to drop his wand. She dropped her shield and moved over to pluck the wand off the ground and lift her spells.

Fabian scrambled to his feet and stared at her while Gideon rushed back over. "_How_?"

"I told you," she shrugged.

Gideon looked at her friends. "You three don't seem surprised."

"She tried to tell you," James laughed.

"She likes to show off," Leon muttered.

Gideon looked at Severus and the boy just rolled his eyes. "No one takes her seriously. She uses that to her advantage."

"But _how_?" Fabian asked again.

"Well, Aberforth did suggest I tell you…"

"Merlin's sake, Granger," Leon groaned. "How many?"

Xx

The explanations took awhile as she explained simply that she was actually an adult that knew how to end the upcoming war - though she ensured they knew she couldn't. Her proof came in the form of Dorea Potter, who brought hot chocolate out to them in the middle of the conversation and casually explained that Adelaide was from the future… which promptly led to another long conversation.

The day after that, the group was taken back to King's Cross and loaded onto the train with a smile and a hug before they were sent off.

Without Sirius and Regulus.

"Again!" She huffed. "I hate this. I hate this so much. Where are they?"

"They'll be at school, I'm sure," Avery soothed her as they made their way to the trolly of treats. She grabbed a sugar quill and pumpkin juice and leaned as he paid for both of their things and the woman walked off.

"I'm so scared for them," she told him. "What if something bad happened and the only way to stop it is if I went to see them and I didn't and they're dead, and-,"

"Adelaide," he interrupted firmly. "Take a breath."

She did as he said and breathed out slowly, turning to walk with him back to their compartment.

The rest of the train ride was filled with anxiety and fear and calming words from her friends. The train arrived at the station an agonizing eight hours later, and she rushed off of it, finding her seat on the carriages.

Her eyes slid over to the dark creatures that carried them toward the castle, her mouth opening slightly as her chest tightened at the sight.

A hand fell on her own and she gave Leon a small smile as he leaned over. "Stop looking at them."

"I can't," she replied quietly. "Did you know how we got to the Department of Mysteries?"

He shook his head, confused.

"We flew. Brooms, hippogriffs, and thestrals. And then Ron…" she shook herself, looking away from the boney animal. "We were taken out of the ministry while Dumbledore and Harry dealt with the press. We stood out there, just waiting for them so we could use the floo. I just… I saw them and I broke down. Sirius held me until I calmed down and demanded I come home with him to avoid the crowd."

"_That's_ where you went," he realized. "I asked as much as I could but I couldn't really say anything without-,"

"Without everyone knowing we were friends," she nodded. "Yeah. Sirius took care of me a lot. He wrote me right away when I helped him escape and we kept writing throughout fourth and fifth year. After that, I saw him a lot."

"You guys are really close here," Leon pointed out. "That might have something to do with it."

She shrugged. "Maybe. Which only makes me more anxious to see him."

"He'll be fine," he assured her again, patting her arm. She only hummed in disagreement and sat back.

Xx

Sirius followed Regulus quietly down the halls, looking side to side as he moved. They approached the small door and Regulus knocked softly before opening it, moving inside with Sirius on his heels.

He was shocked by the familiar sight in front of him and blinked at the couch and fireplace he'd come to love. "Woah."

"_Woah_?"

He winced, his eyes moving to find a stoney faced Adelaide standing with her fists clenched at her side. "Addy-,"

"No!" She snapped. "You're hurt!" Her head twisted to the side with a deep glare. "I _told you_ they would be hurt!"

"Take it up with Walburga," Leon rolled his eyes.

"We're fine," Sirius assured her. "We just weren't allowed to do anything- er, I wasn't. Regulus didn't because he tried to be careful."

"I _would_ have been fine if you hadn't tried to sneak out," Regulus shot at him.

Adelaide rushed over to grab Regulus's face first, looking him over. Her hand came up and she cast the diagnostic spell before they could even tell what she was doing.

"You have bruises and a sprained collarbone."

"Sounds about right."

"And _you_," she glared, moving over to the older brother and casting the same spell. She gasped at the results. "Three broken ribs, a concussion, and some various cuts and bruises. What the hell?"

"It was Voldemort."

Leon got to his feet now and looked at Regulus. "He's really working?"

"He is," Regulus confirmed. "He spent the holidays with us. Sirius was confined to his room for disobeying mother. I was punished because she thought I was helping him sneak out."

"What were you doing?" Adelaide wondered.

"Telling him to get back in his room," he rolled his eyes. "And now he can see why."

"But what happened?" she asked him. "With Riddle."

"Sirius refused to join him, obviously," he sighed as Sirius limped over to the large couch and dropped himself down on it, wincing in pain. "I told him I'd be delighted when I'm a little older and can handle my schoolwork and a… hobby. He gave me the rest of the school year."

"Smart," she hummed. "This is bad. I really thought we'd have at least another year."

"He was leaving to… campaign," Regulus winced. "Amongst the blood purists. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets to Avery sometime soon. Maybe the summer or next year."

"Great," she sighed. "It's all starting."

"Okay, this is great and all," Sirius cut in. "But I'm in a _lot of fucking pain_."

"Yeah," Adelaide nodded quickly. "Reg, sit down, too. I'll heal both of you."

"I'm so fucking tired of that bastard," Leon muttered as his friends sat.

"Well, get used to him again," Adelaide suggested. "We've got a few more years of this."

"We were done," Leon said in a mutter. No one replied to his pained words and Adelaide began healing her friends silently.

Xx

"Prongs, I don't think this is a good-,"

"That's ridiculous," James waved off the concern, rushing to find Lily. "Hurry up!"

"But Lily seemed really annoyed," Sirius said slowly as he ran with Remus after their friend. "I really don't think we should-,"

"Lily Bear!"

Remus groaned.

Adelaide looked up at the boys as they approached. "Remus?"

"This is going to be a mess," he replied quietly, coming to stand by her side.

"James, I told you to _leave me alone_!"

"But I just wanted to ask you-,"

"I will hex you!" Lily snapped. "What is wrong with you?"

"But you're so beautiful, I love you so much!"

Adelaide narrowed her eyes. "Lils_, _he hasn't said any of this before, right?"

"No," she growled. "He's lost his mind."

Adelaide hummed, tuning out James's proclamations of love as she dug through her beaded bag until she found the right vial. With that done, she stunned James and nodded at Remus when the surprised boy caught him and lowered him to the ground.

"Thank _god_," Lily sighed in relief. "I was getting ready to punch him."

"While I'd _love_ to see that," Addy laughed. "I think James has been given a love potion."

"Why?" Sirius blinked in surprise. "Who would do that?"

She considered the question as she uncapped the vial. "Probably a Slytherin on the Quidditch team. Lily has a bit of a temper and the cure for a love potion can make you a bit loopy for a day or so."

"We have a match tonight!" Sirius gasped. "Oh, I'm gonna kill them!"

"No, you're not," Remus told him firmly.

She tilted James's head up and poured the cure down his throat. She watched as his eyes lit up purple and then faded away into their normal brown. Confident that he was fine, she woke him.

"Wha- what?" He blinked his eyes open. "What happened?"

"Someone gave you a love potion and Lily almost hit you," Sirius filled him in. "I wanted to see her hit you but Addy saved you."

James looked up at Adelaide and then shifted his gaze to Lily, blinking his eyes at her. There was some sort of thought in his mind that he didn't speak aloud, though he very quickly looked back over to Adelaide. "Thanks, couldn't play later if I'm obsessed."

"You can't play anyway," she shook her head. "I made that cure for going on the run so it'll help with the after effects of the love potion but it'll still take near seven hours."

"Why would you need a love potion cure on the run?" Lily asked her curiously. She shrugged.

"Harry was slipped a love potion in our sixth year. Slughorn cured him when our friend Neville begged him for help but then he got poisoned and… it was a long mess. I realized a love potion could be a smart way to fool your enemies and so I brought it just in case. There's a _lot_ of stuff in here. I spent a long time with Sirius trying to figure out what sort of things they might throw at us. Mostly it was just hexes and curses."

"Merlin's sake," Sirius blinked at her. "I helped you with that?"

She hesitated. "Yeah, actually. You helped me with… a lot. A lot of things."

"James Potter!" Lily screamed angrily.

Their heads snapped over to find James down on one knee with his - luckily - empty hands out in front of him.

"Lily Evans, that might've been a love potion but I assure you this isn't! It helped me see how beautiful and kind and fierce you are! Go to Hogsmeade with me?"

"No!" She yelled. They saw it coming before it happened and soon, she slapped him straight across the cheek _hard_. She stormed off but James just sat there holding his cheek with wide eyes.

"Guys," he whispered. "I'm in love!"

Xx

The rest of the year was spent in Occlumency lessons and with Adelaide helping Lily avoid James and avoid hitting him again. She hadn't gotten in trouble for the first time and while they knew James wouldn't tell, there was a true danger of him getting on her last nerve in the middle of the Great Hall and ruining her perfect record.

Leon had sort of faded into the background and was worrying Adelaide. He was very reluctant to be around other Slytherins and his temper had run short very quickly. The second he yelled at her and stepped close with a dangerous look, she'd dropped it and backed off. She hadn't felt truly threatened by him in years and refused to let it happen again, even if that meant staying away.

So she filled her time with Regulus, Severus, and Avery. The Marauders were busy with pranking and helping restrain James, which left Lily with her other friends or tagging along with Adelaide and _her_ friends.

Which is how the odd group found themselves sitting at a large table in the library in the last week of school, talking with a privacy ward up in fear of Madame Pince.

"_What_ about dragons?" Lily asked with a short, surprised laugh.

"Well _I_ didn't face one," she assured them, shooting a glare at Regulus for his abnormal slip. "But Harry and a friend of his did. Also my ex and a rather nice girl named Fleur."

"Your _ex_?" Lily stared at her. "You have an ex?"

She blushed, embarrassed by the complete shock. "Believe it or not, yes, in my life someone _has _found me attractive and interesting."

"That's not what I-,"

"I know," she shook off the apology. "It's a sensitive subject. I met this guy because of the TriWizard Tournament - yes I know it's dangerous, yes I know it was stopped a long time ago because of deaths. But I met him and was the only girl that didn't just _stare_ at him. We had similar interests in books and he was extremely kind. But Ron was jealous and bitter that he didn't ask me to the Yule Ball first so he was an ass about it and ruined my night. That's actually how Leon and I became friends - he saw me crying and we got locked in the same room."

"He was still a dick," Regulus nudged her. She rolled her eyes at him.

"He _is_ still a dick."

"What happened there?" Severus asked her. "You guys haven't talked in a couple weeks."

She frowned as she remembered the incident. "I tricked him into our usual meeting in the Room. He… didn't like that. He looked how he did in the war and he sort of cornered me against the wall and was standing over me and he just…" she shook herself. "Something is wrong with him. If he feels the need to threaten me like that then I'm staying out of it. He hasn't done that since before we were friends and it just reminds me of things I'd rather forget."

"Did he really threaten you?" Avery narrowed his eyes at her, sitting forward now.

She shrugged. "He didn't have his wand out but I know he doesn't really need it. Plus, literally backing me into a wall to stare at me like that isn't really a friendly invitation for a chat."

"I wonder what's going on," Lily sighed. "He's not usually that talkative but he cares for you a lot. It's hard to imagine him threatening you like that."

"Imagine it," Regulus told her. "She showed me in our session last night. He was pretty dark. He didn't even talk, he just… something is going on with him."

Adelaide's mind drifted back to the stark differences between Mad Eye and Crouch Jr and tried her best not to imagine Leon being replaced like that.

"Oh," Avery gasped, sitting up straight. "I forgot. Dolohov has this weird… Mark on his arm."

Adelaide froze, her mind running faster as she realized what that meant. Nausea rose in her stomach.

It was really, genuinely starting.

She had no way to know who had the Mark or when they got it. Her eyes slid to Regulus, her anxiety kicking up a notch as she looked to Severus next and then back to Avery.

"Addy!" Lily said, placing a hand on her arm. "What is it? What's wrong?"

She shook herself, taking in a long breath before she could respond. "That Mark, it means it's beginning. He's branding his soldiers. He's more confident now. Which means…"

"Attacks," Regulus realized. "He's going to start attacking soon."

"If he hasn't already," she agreed. "This might… be a bad summer for you guys."

"I assume I'll receive it this summer," Avery sighed.

"Likely," she agreed. "Regulus… you might. He might request you prove your loyalty."

"Oh my god," Lily breathed. "I know it's real, I've known, but… I still feel too young for this."

Adelaide winced at her words and looked at her friend earnestly. "Lily, the war ended when I was nineteen and began… truly it began when I was fifteen in my fourth year. I can tell you that you never feel old enough."

Her words were met with an oddly accepting nod from her friend.

"Well, then I guess you just have to teach us," she suggested.

"_What_?"

Regulus laughed at her. "You did it before, Little Lion."

She shook her head quickly. "That was Harry and we had no choice! Our teacher was a _toad_ and Riddle came back so we had to defend ourselves!"

"And he's here now," Avery pointed out. "We don't have a constant teacher and you've lived through a war."

"But I can't teach," she denied weakly. "Harry did that, I just corrected people when I could."

"Then consider it," Lily requested. "But I think you're our best option here, Addy."

She looked at her friends who were firmly ganging up on her. "This is horrible. I'd rather be with James right now."

Lily scowled at her and she laughed loudly, grateful to have annoyed her friend.

Xx

Adelaide looked at Avery nervously before walking down the stairs and entering the mostly empty room, quickly and quietly casting the proper wards as she moved inside. Her eyes fell on her friend who, instead of packing, was lying on the bed with a magazine Sirius had given him earlier that year.

"Draco."

He lowered the magazine stiffly, his dark eyes boring into her. "Get out of here, Granger."

"You have to talk to me!"

He stood and made his way over to he and she tensed at his dark glare. "I don't _have _to do anything. Now leave!"

"No!" She replied sharply, raising her hand to grab his arm. He snatched it out of the air hard and pressed her back until her head hit the wall hard and her wrist was pressed against it.

"Don't do that," he growled. She stared up at him in shock and wished she wasn't shaking the way she was. The pain that sprouted from her wrist down into her arm made her whimper quietly.

"We're all we have," She grit out, refusing to quiet just because of the pain. "You're the only one that knows everything about me, about the future."

"The way I knew about Crabbe and Goyle?" He shot back nastily. Her breath caught in her throat at the dark reminder and she raised her free arm and smacked his shoulder hard, not caring at all that he grabbed that one too and slammed it up, her hurt and anger blinding her. She barely noticed the way he held her just slightly off the ground, pressing her into the hard stone wall behind her.

"I don't know what's wrong with you but you've never even been _this_ cruel to me!" She snapped, her voice openly shaking. His hand tightened around her wrist causing her to gasp and stare at him in wonder. "Draco, this _hurts_."

She wondered vaguely if he even heard her with the way he held her still, glaring down at her. She felt a sick pop in her left wrist and let out another, louder whimper. His eyes cleared a little at the sound and moved to where he held her and how she was pressed against the wall. "_Fuck_-,"

He let her go and she did her best not to fall as her feet hit the ground again, stumbling a little into the bedside table next to her. She reached out to brace herself and realized to late that she used her left hand and cried out when she put pressure on it. He watched her from across the room as she quickly stood tall again to stare at him, her hands at her side.

"What is going on?" She asked quietly, staring at him. "You _hurt me_. Even when you hated me… what's happening?"

He rolled up his sleeve quietly and she stared at the darkening Mark on his arm, her gut twisting. The black of the Mark was leaking from the mark to the rest of his arm as if someone had spilled some ink. It was a truly sickening sight. "It's like it… it takes over. It brings out my worst thoughts and ideas. It's different, like that magic sat to rot and now it's just a bunch of dark magic brought to life again trying to make me the worst I can be."

Her mind drifted to how they were when wearing the necklace and she winced. "I have to get that off of you."

"It's going to be harder since he's alive," he told her stiffly. His eyes kept falling to her hands, and he eventually looked at her, shame clear on his face. "I think I broke it. You should get to Madame Pomfrey."

She scoffed at him. "I'm going to help you. This summer. Besides, that thing is a safety risk. If you have it and someone sees it and Riddle doesn't know you… it could get bad."

"No one sees it," he hissed. He hesitated before speaking again. "No one but you."

"So I'll see it this summer when I help you," she rolled her eyes. Hesitantly, she stepped forward. He stood stiffly until she was right in front of him. She raised her right hand and gently touched the arm in question, wincing away from it. "The magic is radiating off of it."

He ignored her words and gently grabbed for her broken wrist. She winced at the action slightly but let him grab it, watching as he lifted it up so he could look at it. His other hand came up and waved slightly over it, magic settling in. Carefully, he lowered it back down to her side and let go. "That should help the pain until you get up there."

"I'm fine."

He shook his head at her. "I'm not- I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I've had broken bones before," she told him quietly. "And I don't mind this one if it means I can help you."

"I'm not going to hurt you again," he shook his head. "And I can't control this."

"Luckily, I'm wonderful at magic," she told him. "I'll get it done before the end of summer. It'll be okay."

He didn't reply to her announcement and looked at her head. "You might have a concussion, too."

Rolling her eyes, she nodded and took down her ward - with significant pain - and made her way down the stairs to where Avery sat waiting. He stood and raised an eyebrow.

"So?"

She winced. "So, my wrist is broken and I have a concussion but I think I can help him."

"_What_?" His eyes slid to the stairs and she moved to stand in front of him before he could move up there.

"Don't! He's not himself. There's rotting dark magic in his arm that's trying to control him."

"That's not a good enough excuse for _breaking your wrist_. What did he do?"

She stared him down, refusing to move. "He slammed me against the wall and pulled me up by my wrists. Painful but not the end of the world. And it wasn't _him_."

Avery looked between her and the stairs, letting out a sigh. "Fine. Let's go, she should treat that concussion immediately."

Xx


	5. Chapter 4

**September 1st, 1994**

**Hogwarts**

Adelaide slid into her seat quietly, ignoring the glares of her teachers as she ducked her head, taking a sip of Remus's pumpkin juice. She felt stares on her as Dumbledore finished her speech and ignored them, wishing they would leave her alone.

Once Dumbledore finished his list of nonsensical words and sat back down, she was bombarded with questions.

"Adelaide, _what the hell_-,"

"Where did you go?"

"I thought you died!"

"Hey!" She hissed. "Calm down. Look at me, okay? I'm fine."

"What happened?" Severus asked angrily, glaring her down so familiarly that she was reminded of his adult self.

"I had to learn more about the Dark Mark," she explained quietly. "The only way I could do that is to find out who has it and who doesn't want it."

"What are you saying?" James asked her with a deep frown. "It sounds like you're saying you spent the entire summer with Death Eaters."

She shrugged. "Yeah, basically."

"Let's talk about this after the feast," Avery suggested, looking around. "You guys don't know how to whisper."

"We'll go to the Room of Requirement," she agreed.

The feast went by agonizingly slow after that with tense small talk being passed between the group. Finally, prefects stood to escort first years - who were mostly confused by the mix of Gryffindors and Slytherins at the Gryffindor table - to their dorms. Once the other students were released, Adelaide ran over to Regulus and grabbed his arm. He'd been forced to sit with the Slytherins for the pure fact that he and Sirius were supposed to hate each other. She let him in on the plan and the pair made their way to the hidden seventh floor room.

Someone else had made the room this time and it looked like James's work if the sight of his living room was anything to go by. She plopped down on the floor next to Avery and Sirius and sighed.

"What's going on?" Regulus asked, looking around at the frustrated faces staring at Adelaide. He glanced at her. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!"

"That's literally a flat out lie," Remus pointed out.

"Okay, _maybe_."

"Well, little brother," Sirius began, patting his brother's knee. "I arrived at the table with my friends and was shocked to learn that our dear Adelaide was _missing all summer_."

"_What_?"

"She went Death Eater hunting!"

"Sirius!" Adelaide smacked his arm. "I wasn't hunting them. I wanted to see who had the Dark Mark and who didn't want it. I needed to learn more about it."

"But why?" James asked her. "What's so important about it?"

She hesitated, biting her lip, but Avery spoke before she could.

"This has something to do with Leon."

"Yeah, where is he?" Remus asked her. "He wasn't at the feast or on the train."

"You might as well tell them what happened," Severus suggested. "They'll find out sooner or later whenever he shows up."

Reluctantly, she nodded. "Avery, you know that he was losing control of the dark magic festering on his arm."

"Yeah, he broke your wrist."

"He _broke your wrist_?" Sirius stared at her with wide eyes. "What the fuck, Addy?"

"He couldn't control himself," she defended. "It's not his fault."

"It _is_ his fault," Severus denied. "At least…"

She gave him a sharp look. "We've had this conversation, Sev, he couldn't help it-,"

"He almost killed you!"

Her friends looked at her in silent shock as she tensed.

"Kitten," Sirius said slowly, touching her hand. "What's he talking about?"

She threw her head back against the couch behind her, refusing to look at them as she spoke. "I told Draco-,"

"Leon," Regulus corrected out of habit.

"I told him that I'd figure out how to fix the Mark. At least make sure it doesn't affect him like this. That was when he broke my wrist. Before that, he'd previously shoved me into a wall. Things got worse through the summer. We went to an empty house a friend owns in the future. I tried to work on it there because I didn't want to risk Severus or Sarah or Lily. Only occasionally did he actually manage to hurt me and I always healed it right after. But we fought and the dark magic fed off of his anger, and…"

"An elf woke me up and took mum and I there after telling me that Adelaide was almost dead," Severus continued for her. "Leon was still there over her, trying to… I don't know. I think he was _trying_ to kill her."

"It wasn't him," she snapped at him, tired of the old argument. "And I'm fine!"

"You were bleeding out and he was still sitting on you sending curses at you!" Severus argued.

"Fuck," Sirius whispered. "What- what happened?"

"Mum stunned him and healed Addy as much as she could," Severus told them slowly. "But Leon woke up, I don't know how. He saw her and just left right away."

"He's hiding," she told them. "I think he focused on me because he sees me as representative of the future, of everything he went through. I'm not upset."

"If he's hiding, how are you going to find him to help him if you even can?" Regulus asked her with a frown.

"Oh, I know where he is," she shook her head. "He forgot that he once told me about all of his homes his parents gave him. I narrowed it down to the only abandoned one in this time and checked it out. Someone's living there."

"Then why haven't you approached him?" Avery questioned her.

"Because I haven't quite figured out how to fix him," she sighed, frustrated. "I found some people that let me experiment on them but my issue is that to fix him, I'd have to essentially drain his core entirely and that can only be done safely by professionals."

"Why?" James wondered, tugging at her hair.

"Because Riddle basically places a tiny piece of his core into every dark mark. When he dies, it starts dying. Decaying in them and destroying them as the dark magic rips into their core to sustain itself. I think I can cure him entirely by draining his core but I don't have practice in that."

"Alphard does."

She looked at Regulus with a frown. "Not an Unspeakable and not your uncle. I don't want the ministry to know someone is looking into this and I still don't trust your uncle."

"I have an idea," Sirius told her. "You're not gonna like it."

She narrowed her eyes. "If it's what I think it is, the answer is no."

"Dumbledore was an Unspeakable for awhile," he said anyway. "He'd know how to do it."

"I'd rather jump off a cliff," she told him flatly. "If I tell him about this, I have to tell him everything else."

"Addy, he might be right," James agreed, ducking away from her slap. "I'm serious-,"

"No, _I'm_ Sirius-,"

"Dumbledore could help."

"Dumbledore is an evil, controlling bastard," she growled. "He'll just try and control me if I tell him. Plus, he's a Master Legilimens. I'm not making that mistake again."

"Your mind has minor protections on it now. You'll feel if he's trying to do anything again, even if they're memories we haven't gone over yet," Regulus explained to her. "You'll be fine."

"I don't like this," she told them bitterly. "I've tried so hard to keep him out of this."

"If he can help Leon, it's not a chance we can pass up," James told her. "He's loyal to the light and won't he be overjoyed at finding a way to heal the Mark?"

She shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. He's more worried about fighting this war right now is my guess…. You're right."

"You'll be okay," Sirius told her. "Want one of us to come with?"

"No," she shook her head lightly, picking herself off the floor. "I don't want him knowing how many of you are involved. Stay out of it."

"Sure."

Xx

Adelaide knocked hard on the door three times, standing tall as she waited. After a long moment, the large door opened by itself and she walked in without waiting for invitation, stopping in front of Dumbledore's desk where he sat with a quill in his hand.

"Ah, Miss Snape," he greeted. "What can I do for you today? I expect you're settling back in nicely."

"As you guessed, I'm from the future as so is Leon Westley. He's in trouble and I need your help to help him."

"I see. I'll need to ask a few questions first, of course, but I will help your friend."

"I'll answer what I feel comfortable answering," she told him bluntly. Her eyes flashed brightly when they locked eyes and she felt his mind try to slide past hers. "Hey! Don't do that. Don't you dare touch my memories again."

"Apologies," he told her, sounding not at all sorry. "I am merely suspicious as one might be."

She narrowed her eyes and slid up her sleeve to reveal a small mark of a Phoenix burned into her wrist. "I've got the Mark of your Order, Professor."

"I see you do," he hummed. She spun around when the door slammed open to find Aberforth rushing into the room looking furious.

"Albus," Aberforth glared.

"Aberforth," Albus stood. "As you can see, I'm busy with a student."

"Yes, I can see that," Aberforth glared at Adelaide. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Leon is in danger and you already told me you can't help," she defended. "I told you what happened!"

"And you got out fine!" Aberforth argued her. "You're a capable witch, you'll find a way."

"It's too late," she shook her head. "He already knew and I've just told him."

The string of curses the older man let out made even Dumbledore blush a little bit.

"I demand to know what is going on here," Albus told his brother, confused. "You two know each other?"

"She fell into my pub when she came back here," Aberforth explained reluctantly. "I de-aged her and placed her with Sarah."

"And what happened with Mister Westley?"

Adelaide frowned. "That's not so important, really-,"

"It is," Aberforth disagreed. "If you're requesting he come near the kid, he should know what's going on."

"He was only attacking me," she argued lamely.

"Because you're from the future and he's got a strong emotional attachment to you," Aberforth nodded. "And didn't you mention a little something that happened in your sixth year?"

She opened her mouth to respond and promptly closed it. He had a good point.

Aberforth looked at his younger brother. "Leon was, in the future, a Death Eater because his father pressured him into it, along with his aunt and Voldemort himself. Voldemort was defeated, killed, and his Dark Mark has been decaying. The festering dark magic is controlling his core, and in a sense, him. He's attacked Adelaide multiple times and the last time she saw him, he nearly killed her."

"Oh my," Dumbledore looked over at Adelaide. "And are you alright?"

"I've got a nice new scar but aside from that, I'm fine," she assured him. "I went and spoke to some Death Eaters over summer. I found out who would rather not be one and I figured out how the Dark Mark works. Unfortunately, what it is is that Riddle-,"

"Apologies, but is his true name common knowledge in the future?" Dumbledore interrupted, curious. She pinned him with a glare.

"No. Anyways, Riddle puts part of his core into these Marks. The Marks themselves are sort of like containers for the piece of core. At least by the time Leon got this Mark, Riddle was made entirely out of dark magic for reasons I can't tell you. So now that Riddle is dead, the piece of core is dying too and leaking dark magic into Leon. We're here together and he's closest to me so I believe the magic is prompting him to hurt me… Aberforth is right, however. I believe he'd try and hurt you as well if he saw you."

"Then he will not see me," Dumbledore told her as if it were obvious. "He said you are a capable witch, is that true?"

"I fought in the war," she explained. "I can protect myself but I refuse to hurt my friend."

"Which is how you keep getting hurt," Aberforth grumbled. "Don't think your friends didn't let me know about your wrist."

"We can go tonight," Dumbledore told her. "You can go in first alone and if you're in trouble, I'll follow."

"Hell no," Aberforth shook his head firmly. "I'm coming. We don't need two big red targets in there. I'll be her backup. Once he's knocked out, you can work on him."

"Where is Mister Westley?" Dumbledore asked her.

"A home in Germany," she told him. "I can Apparate you both there."

"Of course," he nodded, moving toward the door. "We'll need to go to Hogsmeade for that-,"

Relishing the shock of it, she grabbed Aberforth's arm and Apparated them out of the office to right outside of the house, going straight back to Hogwarts. She couldn't help but grin at the pure confusion on Dumbledore's face.

"That is impossible," he told her after a long moment. "No one but I can Apparate out of the school."

"I've got no clue how," she lied, holding out her arm. He took it hesitantly and she sent them back to Aberforth. They moved over to meet the man and she looked at him. "I'm going in. There's no wards up because no one looks after this place. Come find me in ten minutes if I haven't come back out."

"Careful," Aberforth warned her. "You're brilliant - use it against him."

She waved him off and moved toward the house. The light was on inside and she sucked in a breath as she opened the door and then closed it behind her.

Before she could blink, she felt her head crash into the heavy wooden door, an arm pressed firmly against her throat.

"Draco," she struggled to talk, patting his arms and side, hoping he'd let go. "I can't _breathe_."

"I told you to stay away from me!" He yelled, getting in her face. He pushed harder against her throat to prevent her from speaking and she blinked rapidly as her ability to breathe was cut off. "This is your own fault, Granger."

Her arm came up to tug at him desperately as she felt herself slip from consciousness. He ignored her and pressed harder against her, his fingers wrapping around her throat now. Ever so slowly, she drifted to a forced sleep.

Once her eyes finally closed, Draco pulled away and watched her fall to the floor limply. He didn't care. Of course he didn't care. In fact, the best choice was to tie her up and ensure she couldn't bother him again. Nodding firmly, he levitated her into the living room and bound her tightly against a chair. Once that was done, he threw a cutting hex deep into her arm to wake her up. She gasped, her head whipping from her arm to him.

"Draco, please," she tried to show him her sincerity. "I can help you now. I can fix it, fix the Mark!"

"Can you remove it?" he growled. She shook her head reluctantly. "Then you're useless! I don't know why we were ever friends."

"Stop it," she yelled at him. "I can remove the dark magic. Make you feel better!"

He decided to forgo words and instead hit her with another spell. "_Aqua Eructo_!"

A jet of water slammed into her entire body and she choked on it, accidentally inhaling the water in her surprise. She leaned over against the ropes, trying to avoid the stream of water until he decided he was finished with it.

"This is your fault!" he told her angrily. "All of this! You pulled me back here, you pulled me into your mess!"

She was unable to reply, water still choking her slightly. Every time she coughed, the ropes tightened and she felt pain blossom all over. His wand came up and hit her with a spell she didn't recognize. She was unsure what it did since she didn't feel anything, and it didn't matter as she ignored it, trying and failing to suck air into her lungs.

"_Stupefy_!"

Draco dropped to the ground with a small thud. She felt her chest tighten with the struggle to breathe as she watched Aberforth rush over to her. He caught onto the situation quickly when her chest wasn't moving up and down and her face was paling.

"_Anepno_," he said loudly. She felt the water clear away and sucked in a large, panicked breath.

"Thank you," She gasped. He sliced through the ropes and helped her stand, supporting her when she wavered.

"I told you that was a bad idea," he shook his head at her. "Anything else hurt?"

"Ah," she glanced at her bleeding arm. "Yeah."

Aberforth grumbled as he set her back down in the chair and kneeled next to her to heal her arm. "This will scar. I don't have any dittany on me."

"I don't care," she waved him off. "I want to get to work on Draco."

"Leon," Aberforth corrected.

"I'll begin draining his core while my brother patches you up," Dumbledore informed her, moving over to wave his wand over Draco's chest. She watched him in silence while Aberforth slowly cleaned the wound of the blood and stitched her back together. She could see Draco's Mark clearly, flashing as its power source was abruptly emptied. It didn't take long for Dumbledore to empty a core - the more intricate job was ensuring that power was contained and then destroyed. In this case, Dumbledore fed it into a presumably charmed glass jar rather quickly, sealing it closed when he was done.

Draco's arm pulsed with a black cloud for nearly a minute. Finally, the cloud fell abruptly into the floor, disappearing when it lost physical contact with him. Adelaide gently shoved away Aberforth's hands as soon as he'd wrapped up the still fragile cut. She got down to her knees and touched Draco's shoulder lightly.

"Draco," she whispered. "Wake up."

"Without a large magical transplant, your friend won't be waking for a few days," Dumbledore shook his head at her. "I'm sorry."

"And how would you do that?"

"Well, you just make a connection between the cores with your wand - no spell required, only intent, but-,"

Already, she had her wand out and over him, wishing a connection to life. When she felt a small spark, she threw as much magic as she could into her friend. His body jerked with the abrupt intake of magic, and she had to cut it off only a few seconds later, feeling a large magical drain that made her dizzy.

"Adelaide!" Aberforth snapped, throwing himself down to the floor to grab onto her before she could fall. "That was incredibly foolish!"

"Yes, he is right," Dumbledore agreed with a frown. "Most transfers are done between a critically low person and someone that's about to die, like an organ transplant. Frankly, I am unsure how you are still alive."

She ignored them and leaned over, nudging her friend again. "Draco, please wake up."

He shifted slightly at her touch and she shooed away the brothers beside her. They moved back but Aberforth kept a close eye on her. Draco moved more, and she watched as his eyes opened slowly.

And her mouth dropped open in shock. "Fuck!"

They were gold.

"Hermione," he muttered.

"Draco," she replied softly, touching his shoulder. She only winced slightly at the tug on her cut when he grabbed her arm.

"What happened?" he frowned at her, shaking his head. He sat up slowly, tugging on her arm accidentally as he did and pulling her forward. She reached out to brace herself, wincing. "Granger?"

"Hey, you're okay," she promised, smiling at him in relief. "How do you feel?"

"Confused," he admitted slowly. "What happened? Where are we?"

She frowned. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Talking to Sirius about how Potter got on the Quidditch team," he narrowed his eyes. "Because _you _brought it up."

"Oh my god," she whispered. "That was _last year_. Draco, it's September."

"What the hell happened, Granger?" he asked her abruptly, sitting up. She gasped when his hand hit her arms where she'd been tied up, irritating the bruises forming. "What's _wrong_ with you?"

"You should tell him," Aberforth advised. "He's going to find out eventually."

"I just got hurt," she grit out as she lost control of the situation. "Aberforth, Professor Dumbledore, can we have a minute?"

"That went so well last time," Aberforth raised an eyebrow.

"What does he mean?" Draco grabbed her arm gently, a stark contrast to the aggressiveness he'd shown before healing him. "What happened to you?"

"You tried to kill her," Aberforth told him plainly. "More than once."

"_What_?" his head snapped over to Adelaide. "Explain."

"Your Dark Mark must've taken control more than I expected," she shook her head. "You got aggressive toward me. It wasn't bad at first, just intimidating me, but then you broke my wrist and gave me a concussion. It got worse until you nearly killed me and ran off. Then tonight you choked me, tied me up and tried to drown me and- it's really not important exactly, but you're better. You're healed."

He stared at her darkly. "I tried to kill you."

"Um… sort of."

"I wouldn't try to kill you, I wouldn't hurt you," he shook his head. "_I hurt you_?"

"If it helps, I think of it as Riddle trying to kill me rather than you," she tried. "I'm not upset."

He stared down at her hand on his arm, shaking his head. "How can you be sure I'm better?"

"I can answer that," Aberforth sighed, his eyes on Adelaide. "The way to get that dark magic out of you was to drain your core. Adelaide wanted to wake you up so she poured her own magic into you, and you know what magic rests inside of her."

Draco locked eyes with Adelaide. "What is he saying?"

She blushed. "I don't know. It might fade but we should really talk to Alphard about it."

"Is there something wrong with your magic, Miss Snape?"

"No," she rolled her eyes, brushing off his question to focus back on her friend. "Can you stand? How do you feel?"

"Fine," he promised, picking himself off the floor. She did the same, holding onto her arm. She'd been stitched back together but only loosely with how quickly it had been done and there'd been no pain potions, either, leaving her in a decent amount of pain. "What happened to your arm?"

"I'm not completely sure," she admitted. "I think you just cut it to wake me, honestly."

"Merlin," he whispered. "Let's get back to Hogwarts and I'll stitch you up. You said I tied you up?"

"Yeah."

"So you're sore."

"Yeah, just a little."

"I'm afraid I'll need you to answer a few questions first," Dumbledore tried. Adelaide shot a look at Aberforth, who placed himself between them and looked at his brother.

"These kids need time to rest," he said firmly. "They will not be answering questions tonight."

"Aberforth, I apologize but it is not your place-,"

"It damn well is," he glared at Dumbledore with a frown. "I have protected Adelaide and Leon since they both got here. They will meet with you tomorrow and I will be there."

"Aberforth-,"

"It's me or Sarah," he raised an eyebrow. "She is their legal guardian."

Dumbledore frowned. Legally he couldn't question them without their guardian, and he knew Sarah wouldn't hesitate to make a scene of it. "Of course. First thing tomorrow."

"Great," Adelaide nodded firmly, grabbing onto Draco's arm and, without any goodbyes, apparated them to directly outside of the Room of Requirement. They were silent as she paced back and forth to make the room and only spoke once they were inside and seated.

"Do you not remember in fifth year when I asked you to-,"

"Don't," she interrupted sharply. "I told you then that I'd only do it when things got really bad and _only_ if Riddle was actively controlling you."

"He was!" He argued her. "In person or not, that bastard still had control over me. Damn it, Granger, I almost killed you!"

"But I'm fine," she shook her head in frustration. "I'm here, I'm fine!"

"You're _hurt_," he pointed at her arm. "You still didn't do it. You can fight me off, you just didn't want to. You're a better fighter than I am!"

Ignoring the admission of talent, she threw her hands up. "I can't just kill you, Draco! You're my friend."

"And that's your bloody weakness," he snarled. "You care too damn much."

"Of course I do," she shook her head. "I won't apologize for it. And we're both fine, so what's the issue?"

"The issue is what could've happened," he stared at her darkly. "Tell me, how did you survive? Did you even fight back?"

"I did," she lied. "And Severus found us. He got Sarah and she healed me. I was fine."

"And how did you figure out how to help me?"

She hesitated. "I just asked around."

"Asked _who_? Riddle?"

She shook her head slowly, already dreading his response. "Just, ah, some Death Eaters."

He was silent as he stared at her, his lips firmly sealed.

"I found out who joined reluctantly. Because of their family, like you," she told him slowly. "And then I asked them a few questions about how it was given and the spells and rituals used and went from there."

"That was dangerous. It was _stupid_," he scowled. "Who did you talk to?"

"Avery, first," she sighed. "He received the Mark over summer. Aside from that, Travers, Wilkes, and, um… Rodolphus."

Draco blinked. "Rodolphus… Lestrange?"

"Yes," she rubbed at her face tiredly. "He was forced into the marriage with Bellatrix to get access to the Black family. She has primacy over him and forced him to take the Mark."

"I see," he shook his head. "You could've been killed, Granger."

"I wasn't," she rolled her eyes. "I survived a war, I can handle this. I can handle you. Now can we stop fighting? I'm exhausted."

"Fighting, sure," he agreed. "For now. But your magic?"

"Right," she tugged at her ear. "I'm impatient?"

"I know that, but you don't know how dangerous it might be," he pointed out. "We have to see Alphard. How are you feeling?"

"Just tired," she admitted. "In pain, but that's generally from the… other stuff."

He winced lightly and moved back, waving at her shirt, and she vanished it. The pair had long since gotten used to it and neither of them blushed any longer. He looked her over and she saw him frown darkly at the clear bruises appearing all over, along with the large scar spanning over her chest that hadn't been there last time. His eyes moved to her neck to see the hand shaped bruise that had popped up already and he stiffened. "Merlin, Granger…"

"I'm fine," she insisted. "It's not a big deal, I've had worse."

"I choked you!" he waved at her throat. "And I cut your arm. What else?"

"Draco," she shook her head. "It's not important."

"It's important to me. Tell me."

Rolling her head back, she sighed. "When I got there tonight, you slammed me into the wall. You just sorta yelled at me before choking me. Then you tied me up, cut my arm and hit me with a stream of water down my throat. I almost drowned but Aberforth got there in time. Oh," she frowned, looking over at him again. "You also hit me with a spell. I didn't recognize it and I didn't feel anything so I didn't really think much of it."

His eyes sharpened on her. "You forget that I was raised with dark magic," he reminded her darkly, waving his wand at her. "_Fuck_."

"What is it?"

"This spell," he pursed his lips, staring at her. "It's meant to take any spell you cast and do the opposite. You cast a healing charm, it'll hurt whoever you're trying to heal. You cast a shield, it'll pull curses toward you. At the same time, it drains your core. It's meant to get you killed."

"But I did the transfer of magic with no issues," she argued. "Everything is fine."

"Probably because that's magic using your wand as a vessel to get from you to me. It wouldn't affect it because it's not technically a spell of any sort."

"Okay, well… you can reverse it, right?"

He shook his head slowly. "Father was less interested in teaching me to heal and more interested in teaching me… this."

"Shit," she sighed, thinking. "Well… Regulus might. Or Sirius."

"It'll have to work," he told her with a frown. He cast a Patronus and called for both boys, staring at his friend in concern.

When he was done, he undid the stitching Aberforth had done and did it again, tighter and with a drop of pain potion directly on the cut. After that, he moved to the spell for her cruciatus pains, and both Sirius and Regulus ran in while those were being healed.

"Addy!" Sirius yelled. "Your shirt!"

She laughed lightly. "Grow up, Sirius. If it helps, you'll see this again in twenty years or so."

"It doesn't, thanks," he whined, moving into the room further. His eyes were set on Draco firmly. "What happened?"

"You're hurt," Regulus whispered, ghosting his fingers over the clear bruising on her neck. "Again."

Ignoring the way Draco stiffened at the words, she just nodded. "It's okay. Draco's fine-,"

"Leon," Regulus muttered.

"But there's a small issue."

"What issue?"

Draco stayed silent, simply weaving his healing magic into her chest quietly where the ropes had been.

"Apparently he hit me with a dark curse when he was all… you know. And he doesn't know how to heal me."

"What curse?" Sirius asked them with a frown. "We might be able to help but honestly I stopped paying as much attention to our lessons a couple years ago."

"_Siccare_," Draco said simply. Adelaide watched as the brothers exchanged a glance.

"That's meant to kill," Regulus said to Draco darkly. "She could die if she used her magic."

"And she hasn't," Draco told him. "Can you heal her?"

"Yes," Sirius said slowly. "But whoever does it will create a sort of bond with her from touching her core."

"Wait, what?" Adelaide looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well… if you touch another person's core, it creates a bond," he shrugged. She looked back at Draco.

"And if you touch it to give them magic?"

"Ah," Sirius blinked. "Yeah? Just temporarily, though. Wait, is _that_ why his eyes are all glowy like yours?"

"I'd suggest Regulus," Draco said to change the subject. "Since you two already have a sort of bond."

"Of course," Regulus nodded.

Draco frowned at her. "Your chest is fine. Take the pain potion now. We can do this again tomorrow. I assume the summer has been absolute shit?"

She smiled at him. "There's been a little pain."

"Four times a week," he told her. "Luckily, the pains should start to lessen if we keep going consistently since it's been so long."

She nodded a little, accepting the schedule change gratefully and turned to Regulus. "Ready?"

"You'll need to lie down," he instructed. As she did that, he kneeled down next to the couch and pulled out his wand, hovering it over her. "This won't hurt but it might feel odd when our bond is formed."

"Okay."

He cast the spell required and closed his eyes as he could see inside her core. She felt it and gasped at the feeling of something enveloping her core, shocked. He felt it as well and staggered away from her, breaking the spell. Before either of them could speak, Sirius did.

"What the _fuck_?"

Adelaide looked at her friend, blinking. "W-what?"

"You didn't see it?" He wondered. "There was a bunch of gold around you! It was cool. It stopped when you ended it. What happened?"

She locked eyes with Regulus and saw understanding in him. She tilted her head, confused. She had no clue what had happened, but obviously he did.

"Um," Regulus blinked back at her. "Let's try again."

"Right…"

They moved back into position and he cast the spell again. She felt her core wrapped up and held out now as the feeling settled in as if whatever it was had mixed together with her core. She tensed at the feeling but waited in agonizing silence while Regulus pulled out the dark magic sitting inside of her. Once he was done, they separated immediately and he backed away from the couch until he was nearly across the room.

"Okay, so… I'm going to go to bed," Regulus nodded at them. "Night."

Sirius watched his brother leave with a confused frown. "What the hell was that?"

"No clue," Adelaide said tiredly. "He's probably just exhausted."

Xx

The conversations with Aberforth and Dumbledore went better than expected. Aberforth was a great buffer and ensured that no important details were given to the man, and they got out of there having only told him the year they were from and how they were pulled back there, along with their ages.

It was obvious Dumbledore was intent on meddling more but for the moment, they were happy.

After that, Aberforth informed them of a visitor in the Room and then promptly left, grumbling about having to close the Hog's Head.

They ran up to the Room Of Requirement and shared a breath of relief at the sight of Alphard.

Who stared firmly at Adelaide.

"What did you do?"

She blinked at him, confused. "Excuse me?"

He stared at her for another moment and she felt a slight prod against her mind. Unsure what he was looking for, she decided to let him. When he was done he said nothing to her and rather turned to Draco. "Aberforth said you were given some of her magic. I see your eyes are somewhat golden."

"They've faded since last night," Adelaide told him. "They were nearly as bright as mine."

"I'll check your core but I'd assume you're fine. That magic may be different than normal magic but now it is organic. It'll fade as your own core refills. It may help that along, in fact. I'd guess it'll be gone completely by the end of the night." He cast the spell quickly and nodded once. "As I said, you'll be fine."

"Can you check her core? She was cursed yesterday, I want to ensure she's alright."

"Regulus removed it from my core," she argued, blinking away as she remembered the odd connection she still felt, even then. "I'm fine."

"I'll look," Alphard agreed. "Leon, can we have a moment?"

Leon looked between them. At Adelaide's nod, he stepped out of the room silently.

"Tell me exactly what happened," Alphard requested, waving for her to lie down so he could check her core.

"Draco-,"

"Leon."

"_Leon_ hit me with a dark curse that affected my magic and drained my core. Reg went in to remove it but it was… odd. It still feels odd."

Alphard stared intensely at her. "And did anything else happen? Any accidental magic or light in the air?"

She shrugged. "Sirius said there was gold in the air?"

The sigh Alphard let out was not at all comforting. "Your life just doesn't want to be simple, does it?"

"Not typically."

"Do you feel anything now? Like he's still there, supporting you?"

"It felt like he wrapped around my core and then they melded together," she nodded slowly. "So yes, it feels like he's still there. Why? What happened?"

"I'm unsure if I should tell you," he admitted.

"Alphard Black, you _will_ tell me," she glared at him. "I may look fourteen but I bet I could get a few spells in."

He looked like he was trying not to laugh, something that infuriated her. Still, he nodded. "What happened when he touched your core was… it was a bonding."

"Yeah, they said there'd be a bond. That's not a big deal, right?"

"No, you misunderstand. The bond that's normally formed is temporary. Typically when one person touches another's core, it's for healing purposes. Did you feel anything when you touched Leon's?"

"Yes," she thought back to it. "Like he sort of latched into me."

"But you can't feel it anymore, can you?" At her confused frown, he nodded. "Because that bond was a healing bond, similar to a twin bond. You know about those, yes?"

"Yes, some of my friends were twins," she smiled at the thought of Fred and George, suddenly missing them horribly, a feeling she knew would only subside when she saw their uncles at Christmas.

"Right. Well the bond you and my nephew made was quite different."

"I know of all the bonds," she denied. "Familial, twins, healing, and soul. I don't understand what this could be."

Alphard looked extremely awkward as he let out a slow, deep breath. "In the future, do you know your soulmate?"

She was taken aback by the question. "Not really. I sort of assumed it was my friend that died fifth year."

"Soulmates die together," he informed her. "Your friend was not your soulmate."

"Then who-," she cut off with a gasp. "No."

"Yes, Adelaide," he rubbed his temples tiredly. "And what happened last night was an accidental binding. You two are bound. For life."

She wondered vaguely if she was going to pass out. Luckily, she gripped the couch tightly and held herself up. "He's thirteen!"

"Yes, and you're fourteen. But believe it or not, this is common. At least more so than you'd think."

"But… does he know? I don't- this is…"

"Take a deep breath," he instructed. "I assume he knows. He's been trained to recognize bonds from a young age."

"Oh my god," she shook her head. "But- oh my god."

"What is it?"

"When he's eighteen, he's supposed to die."

Alphard's lips thinned. "And you have a plan. That was the point of your stunt with the cave."

"Yes, but… what if I can't save him? _Fuck_!"

"We will make a plan," he assured her. "And then a backup plan, and then another backup plan."

"Is this why he cares so much about me? Just because of some… bond?"

"No," he shook his head firmly. "He cares about you because he loves you and wants you to be safe and happy. Right now, he's your friend. Someday it'll be more and his priorities will be the same in regards to you."

She sighed at him. "Can't my life be boring for once? I was so close before I came to the past."

He laughed, his eyes lightening. "Apparently not."

Xx

Adelaide laid on the couch with her head in Avery's lap, listening to Severus complain.

"I don't _understand_. Every year they get just a little bit more obnoxious and that's _fine_ but these pranks are going too far!"

"I know, Sev. But they won't listen. I'm starting to wonder if James has a kink we don't know about with how often he makes Lily slap him. Maybe he's a masochist. Maybe he wants you to hex him."

"Adelaide!"

"Sorry," she laughed. She was bored and truthfully just wanted to see his face when she'd suggested it, and he definitely didn't disappoint. "I know you're annoyed but it's not worth it. I'll talk with them if you want."

"It's not just your boys," he told her. "It's Pettigrew. He locked Sythan's legs as she tried to walk down the stairs. It's lucky we caught her or she'd be seriously injured."

Adelaide opened her eyes and turned to look at him. "It's starting?"

"I'd guess so. He's dating Maren now."

"She was at the last meeting," Avery spoke up, tapping her shoulder. She turned to look at him as he reached over and plucked up some hair to absently braid it, a habit he'd picked up when she taught him how. "She got the Mark right away."

"Great," she sighed, closing her eyes again. "At least I know how it happens."

The three fell into a moment of silence before Severus spoke up again, this time sounding tired.

"You're still avoiding Regulus."

She scrunched up her nose. "Next subject please."

"It's been a month!" He reminded her. "What's going on?"

"If you think I can resist your questions for a month and then suddenly answer you, you're wrong," she snorted. "It's nothing, really."

"Then why don't you talk to him?" Avery asked softly. She huffed at him.

"How dare you betray me? I thought you supported my avoidance."

"I supported your processing whatever happened," he clarified. "I'm sure you've processed by now. Talk to him."

"No," she said stubbornly. "It's not like he wants to talk to me, either."

"He does!" Severus threw his hands up, exasperated. "He's asked about you multiple times. I've begun just telling him that you're flat out avoiding him."

"Rude," she muttered. "You're my brother, you're supposed to be on my side."

"Obviously not," he drawled. She burst out into a sudden fit of giggles, making both of them stare at her. She opened an eye and smiled.

"It's a, uh, future thing."

"I see," Severus rolled his eyes. "Well if you don't speak with Regulus soon and get over whatever happened, we're going to lock you in a room with him until you do."

She let out a long suffering sigh. "Fine! But if things are awkward and he never wants to see me again, that's on you and I'll be very upset."

Avery spelled her hair still so the braid wouldn't fall out and stared down at her. "I cannot imagine what happened that would be so awkward for you."

"For us _both_," she clarified quickly. "He'll feel awkward, too."

Severus hummed. "Well, I told him to meet us down here at eleven, so…"

Her eyes flew open and she cast _tempus_, gasping when she saw the time. "It's 10:58!"

"Yep," he nodded, standing. Avery gently moved her head off of his lap and stood as well, making his way toward the dorms. "Bye."

"I hate you both."

"Night, Adelaide," Avery called lazily as he followed Severus down the stairs.

She let out a huff and swung up to sit cross legged on the couch, her arms crossed bitterly. She hated being tricked, especially by her friends. She tugged on her braid, relishing the smooth feel of it against her frustration.

"Addy."

She looked up at Regulus who stood, smirking at her pout. "Reg!"

"I take it they didn't warn you," he chuckled, sitting on the table in front of her.

"No," she admitted to him. "Apparently, they've had enough."

"So have I."

"I'm not really sure what to… say," she frowned. "Alphard said you would know what happened."

"I knew when it was happening," he agreed.

"Why didn't you… stop it?"

"A few reasons. The first is that Sirius isn't very good at precision dark magic when he's under pressure, and since Leon didn't know how to help, Sirius would've been your only other option. The second was that it was already draining your core because it's so large, and it was dangerous to wait. But the last one is just that I've suspected for awhile and it felt silly to wait just because it's surprising when you really needed help."

She felt her eyes widen in shock. "You suspected?"

"Of course," he shrugged at her. She thought he was much too calm for their situation, a thought he obviously didn't share. "Usually during our Occlumency lessons. There's this tug, like I'm so close and so far away. Also… talking to you, I feel things sometimes. Even when we first met, I wanted to make sure you were… safe. Happy."

The words, so similar to Alphard's promise, struck her heart. "Isn't it a little young for us to be… I don't know what to call this," she laughed nervously.

"It's not engagement," he chuckled, catching her drift. "It just means we're bonded. You can't bond with anyone else. You couldn't have, anyways. That's why true bonds in marriage are so rare - because finding your soulmate is rare."

"But then what does this mean? I care about you, I love you, but my life keeps getting more complicated, more dangerous."

He stared at her, nearly laughing in pure irony. "Adelaide, I'm a Death Eater."

She blinked. "Well, uh, yeah. There's that, too."

He rolled his eyes. "I know what your life is like. Believe it or not, I've seen some of it. I'd just like to be a part of your future."

Her hesitation was visible, and he waved for her to talk. "It's just that… what if I can't save you? In the cave, I mean."

"You will," he promised. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do," she replied immediately.

"Then trust me when I say you'll save me. It'll be okay."

She let out a sigh. "What does that mean? For us, right now?"

He smiled at her. "I'd like to take you to Hogsmeade. That's all I ask."

She felt a smile slip onto her lips. "Yeah… okay. That sounds good."

"So you'll stop avoiding me now?" He grinned. She rolled her eyes and nodded, and he nodded back. "Occlumency. You're behind."

"Yeah," she sighed. "Tomorrow. I'm tired."

"That's fine," he promised. His eyes slipped down just a little, a frown replacing his smile. "Addy, the bruises haven't disappeared yet."

She froze, her fingers slipping to her throat. "Ah… the glamour fell."

"Why haven't they gone?" He asked her, reaching out to touch them. Even his light touch hurt and she winced very slightly. "What happened?"

"Draco thinks it's because of that curse," she sighed. "Or the dark magic that was in the room. He said they'll go away, but it'll take awhile."

"Merlin," Regulus frowned. "It's good you cover them, these are… terrifying."

"Yeah."

"Does it… bother you that he hurt you?"

She looked away toward the fire, which was dying down. "Yeah. It's not his fault but it reminded me in a way of Malfoy Manor."

"You're still upset that he didn't help you," he guessed.

"Not upset," she disagreed softly. "I know it would've been death for him. But it made me think of a world where he'd been cruel. If he hadn't been friends with me. Maybe he would've done that. Tried to hurt me. Helped Bellatrix… I haven't told him or anyone else, but that day when Severus found us, he did Crucio me. Not for long - Miffy interrupted him, but it still happened."

"Fuck," Regulus's breath caught in his chest at her words. "What do you- you're not upset?"

"I'm just… logically I know there's no way he'd ever hurt me, _especially_ not after this," she told him slowly. "But every time he moves too quickly or touches me a little too rough, I just…"

"Yeah," Regulus nodded. "That's understandable."

She looked at him for a long moment as the conversation slipped away, and she leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek. The dim light hid his blush nicely, as well as hers. "Thank you, Reg. I… missed you."

"I missed you, too, Little Lion."

For once, she smiled fondly at the nickname. "I'll meet you in the Room of Requirement tomorrow after breakfast?"

"I'll be there."

She walked down the stairs to her dorm with a soft smile on her lips, silently thanking her friend and brother for meddling in her life.

Xx

Much to her surprise, fourth year was moving by fast. The first Hogsmeade weekend of the year was in mid October, and Regulus took her to Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, Tomes and Scrolls, Honeydukes, and then finally, the Three Broomsticks for their meal where they sat and talked for three hours as if they didn't already know a large portion of one another's lives.

For the next two Hogsmeade weekends before Christmas, they repeated the trip. By the time break rolled around, the pair had been labeled a couple. They didn't mind.

Severus and Sirius had a few words to say, however, and all of them were for Regulus.

"Adelaide is a strong witch and anything you do to her, she will do back to you a hundred times worse," Severus told him calmly.

"Yeah, and I'll beat you up," Sirius added in.

Regulus had taken it happily and promised to be kind to her, a promise he also made to himself.

The pair relaxed in a compartment with only Avery as company on their way to King's Cross. Once there, she pecked his cheek and ran off to find Severus.

Once again, they spent the entire break at Potter Manor at Dorea's request. Sarah joined them once again, something Adelaide was grateful for as she felt she'd not had nearly enough time with the woman.

They rested for the most part until three days before Christmas, there was an unexpected knock on the door.

"Who could that be?" Charlus wondered, closing his book. Adelaide was sitting with him in the living room, both of them reading and drinking tea whilst everyone else played on their brooms or did their homework. She curiously followed the man to the door and grinned when she saw who was on the other side.

"Adelaide!" Fabian laughed. "What a coincidence!"

"Hello, Lord Potter," Gideon greeted with a large smile. "Very sorry to intrude but we heard your little friend here was visiting."

Charlus smiled brightly at them. "No problem at all! I'll leave you three be, I miss my wife."

"You saw her ten minutes ago," Adelaide laughed.

"I know," Charlus winked, tapping his nose as he walked away to find Dorea.

Once he was gone, Adelaide waved the twins into the living room and sat back on the large chair she'd been in before. "What're you guys doing here? Won't you see me at the ball?"

"Ah, but that's exactly what we wanted to talk about," Gideon explained.

"Yeah, so you know we're Aurors?"

"Of course."

"We saw Alphard Black today."

"Ah."

Fabian raised an eyebrow. "He says there's a new family bond including you that Walburga will pick up on at the Ball. He wanted to warn you."

Her eyes widened dramatically. "Wait, they will? She will? She's going to be there? How do I stop this?"

"Slow down, Pip," Gideon put a hand up. "One question at a time."

"Why will they be there?" She settled on her first question anxiously.

"Apparently Walburga wants to ensure no dirty business goes on. Nothing political they'll miss."

"Shit," she sighed. "But they'll notice the bond? Oh!" She slapped her head, annoyed with herself. "That's how Alphard figured it out! But if that's true, how can I hide it?"

The twins exchanged a look. "Alphard told us there's a bond between you and Regulus. The only way you can hide it is to stick by his side or someone else in the family to explain it."

She frowned at them. "But Walburga knows I'm not... evil. She'll just yell at him."

"Then I suggest taking him and leaving the party," Fabian shrugged. "Sit outside out of view or something and if they come over, hide."

She sighed. "That sounds like it'll work. And I don't mind missing the party. Old men keep staring at me and it doesn't seem very kind to the Potters to hex someone at their Ball."

"Maybe not for you, but I will," Gideon narrowed his eyes. "Creepy old cunts."

She waved off his concern. "I'll be fine. So just hide most of the night. He'll probably have to do rounds occasionally so I'll just stay out of the ballroom while he does that."

"Yep," Fabian agreed. "Damn pureblood customs."

She breathed out slowly. "Thank you, guys. I appreciate the head's up."

"Anytime, Pip," Fabian smiled, patting her head. "Now, for the fun part…"

"A rematch!" Gideon exclaimed.

"We get to duel?" She laughed brightly. "Great! I've been itching to put someone on their ass."

Xx

Avery slipped out of the large, warm room easily, ignored by nearly everyone except for the scary Potter woman who narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. He shook off his unease and ran up the stairs to the door he'd been told about and snuck in, looking around.

"Pink. Huh."

"Don't judge me," Adelaide warned. "I happen to like pink."

"Anyway," he coughed. "Three more received the Mark yesterday. No one in school. Lords, mostly."

"Wonderful," she breathed out. Her hands twisted at her hair impatiently, tugging a little too hard and wincing at the pain. "Fuck. I hate this girly stuff. Lily always does my hair but her sister is getting married tomorrow and she couldn't make it."

"Let me," he sighed, moving over to her. "The French braid? I'm best at it."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Avery."

"For some reason," he said, twisting her hair expertly and quickly. "I'd do a lot for you. And apparently, that includes learning to braid."

She let out a laugh. "All the better for whenever you have a daughter?"

"Kids are sticky and loud," he told her. "No thanks."

She shrugged in acceptance of the answer. Generally, she agreed. He patted her shoulder gently and she held up her mirror, smiling brightly at the result. "Thank you!"

"Don't mention it," he told her. "I need to get back or they'll get curious. I think Lady Potter believes I'm off stealing heirlooms."

Adelaide laughed. "She's a bit frightening, isn't she?

"A tad," he replied as he slipped from the room. She took in a few nervous breaths and made her way toward the door. Her beaded bag was on the bed and it made her incredibly nervous to leave it in her room, but it didn't exactly go with her glittery silver floor length dress. Tearing her eyes off the bag, she pulled the door closed behind her and moved carefully down the stairs, her heels making her unsteady. She took the back way out to the garden where everyone would be later for the fireworks, grateful to avoid the crowd.

She stopped around the side next to a large bush and a couple of trees, ready to wait for Regulus. They hadn't arrived yet and while she could be in the ballroom, she really didn't want to be.

Which was her mistake.

She was thrown to the ground abruptly, slamming her face on a rock that cut her cheek open. She twisted over onto her back, reaching for her wand that she'd left in her bedroom. She felt a familiar spell slam into her and suddenly she was bound by ropes. In the next second, she was silenced and the scream she'd been going to let out died in her throat.

It was dark and hard to see, but she was certain she knew who it was. Her heart beat fast in her chest, fear rising to her throat as the horrible man - or rather, boy - straddled her, leaning over her chest to press a painfully hard kiss to her lips. He pulled back and there was just enough light to see his face.

"You got away from me last year," he clicked his tongue and shook his head at her. "Not again, Snape."

She thrashed under him. It was no use, and she felt the ropes tighten quickly, pressing her hand into her ribs. The look on his face was cruel and dark, and she wondered horribly what he planned to do.

Her question was answered when he vanished her entire dress off of her. Her eyes squeezed shut in horror, wishing for Regulus to just show up already. She only opened her eyes again when, instead of his hand, she felt his tongue on her inner thigh, a feeling that made her want to throw up. She kicked her legs up and celebrated silently upon the feeling of her knee connecting with his face.

He leaned up, glaring at her with blood dripping from his now broken nose. His hand slammed into her throat threateningly, tight only enough that she didn't pass out. His hands moved south again, pushing aside her underwear. She felt a muted, empty horror fill her and laid there helpless.

She was unsure how long she was there. By the time she was found, though, the ropes had tightened so much that her arms were bleeding from the pressure and rubbing so hard against her skin.

Finally, she saw Dolohov thrown off of her, this time much more aggressively with a Bombarda knocking him into a nearby tree.

Regulus came into view with Sirius next to him, and she closed her eyes at the sight, unable to look at them. They unbound her and gave her voice back. The only time she spoke was to tell them not to get any adults and just to take her to her room.

Once there, she was given a calming draught, though she didn't want it. She wanted to cling to the empty feeling of shock she resided in, but they refused to let her and so she drank it down and pulled her blanket tighter around her.

"Adelaide," Regulus whispered, his voice shaking. "Addy, please."

She looked between the brothers, both of whom were stared at her in worry and sat across from her on her bed. "I should've… known," she told them, her voice barely a whisper. "I should've known he'd do it again."

Both stiffened.

"Again?" Sirius asked her. "Adelaide, he's done this before?"

She blinked rapidly to keep the tears away. "Last year. Remember?"

Regulus closed his eyes tightly. "He- he raped you?"

She nearly threw up at the word alone and shook her head quickly. "No, Avery stopped him."

"And this time," Sirius's voice was rough as he spoke, sounding completely heartbroken. "This time he did."

She shrugged.

"Adelaide," Sirius breathed. "You could've told us. Let us know what to look for."

"Didn't want to," she managed. "Not… I couldn't."

"It's not her fault," Regulus looked at his brother defensively. "Even if she didn't tell us, it's not her fault."

"I know," Sirius looked at Regulus in surprise. "I wasn't saying it was."

Regulus took a long breath and focused back on the broken girl in front of him. "Do you need- oh fuck. Do you need any…. spells?"

She winced hard. "I don't know. I don't- I… maybe?"

Regulus closed his eyes and nodded, waving at Sirius in request. With an uneven voice, the boy cast the only spell he knew, but it just lit up above her stomach and dissipated in the air. She took in a sharp, scared breath.

"That's- that's the spell for before," she told him. "There's one for after but I don't… know it."

"Neither do I," Sirius slumped. "Fuck."

She looked at them in fear. "Oh my god…"

"It'll be okay," Sirius promised. Still, he couldn't stop the tears that began to fall from her eyes, nor could he help the shaking sobs. Regulus gently touched her back and as soon as she nodded at him, he pulled her into a tight hug, letting her cry into his dress robes.

The door slammed open, interrupting Sirius as he moved forward to embrace her as well. His eyes fell on Dorea Potter, who looked angrier than he'd ever seen her, even when his mother had hit him in public before first year.

"Adelaide," Dorea said softly. Her head shot up to look at the woman, who strode over to the bed and sat down next to her. "Oh my. I am so sorry."

"Do- how did-," Adelaide tried, hiccuping. "What do you-,"

"Charlus found the boy in the bushes and informed me. It was fairly obvious what happened by his lack of trousers and the way he'd been blown into our shrubbery. I just had to find who was missing."

"I'm- I'm sorry," she managed, sobbing in between.

"Oh, don't you dare," Dorea told her firmly. "What do you need, dear?"

"A spell," Sirius told her quietly. "We don't know it."

"Of course," the kind woman nodded. Her wand was drawn and she waved it over Adelaide's stomach quietly. This time, the light faded gently into the stomach, lighting up only for a second before it disappeared. "All better now."

"Was I-,"

"No no," Dorea shook her head. "It doesn't matter. You're okay now."

She nodded, admitting silently to herself that she truly didn't want to know if she'd been pregnant or not. "I need… um, I need a shower."

Dorea looked at her knowingly. "I'll come in with you. Your boys will wait out here."

Instead of arguing, Adelaide just nodded. The pair went into her bathroom with a towel and a pair of pajamas, leaving Sirius and Regulus in her room alone. They sat there silently for a long moment before Regulus spoke, swiping aggressively at tears leaking down his face.

"I don't know what to do."

"We just have to… help her," Sirius suggested.

"But how?" Regulus asked him. "Sirius this has- this has happened before."

"Yeah, but Avery stopped him then."

"No, I mean in the future," he explained. "Her past. In her fifth year. I can't imagine what she must be thinking… actually, I can, and it's terrifying."

Sirius stared at his younger brother in fear and confusion. "It- I don't understand. Who…?"

"Crabbe and Goyle have children," he said. "They're just as awful as their fathers."

Sirius sucked in a breath. "Leon punched Goyle not long after Addy got… hurt."

"Yeah."

"You didn't… see that memory, did you?"

"She tried to stop me," he explained. "I didn't know what it was. I insisted that I had to. I don't… really know how far it went. I pulled away as soon as they touched her."

The door opened once again, and this time both boys drew their wand, not ready for any intrusion. Avery raised his hands, blinking.

"It's just me," he said. "James was- is that blood?"

Their eyes fell on the decent amount of blood on the sheets and tensed.

"What happened?" He asked them firmly, looking far more serious than before. "Where is she?"

"Dolohov-,"

"_Fuck_!" He yelled, slamming his fist into the wall as he moved further into the room. "Did he…?"

"Yeah," Regulus choked out. Avery paced across the room back and forth, tapping his leg in frustration.

"I didn't think he'd do anything here!"

"She's in the shower," Sirius snapped. "Keep your voice down."

"When did you get there?" He asked them with a frown. "Was it not long after he did? How is she?"

The brothers exchanged a glance.

"We didn't find her until it was… too late."

"Hey, what's going on?"

All three of them now looked at James and Remus, who stood there in horror while James frowned at the furious Avery.

"What's wrong with him?" He asked.

"Where is she?" Remus whispered to his friends.

"She's showering," Regulus grit out. "All of you need to _get out_. She doesn't need or want an audience. She doesn't even want us here, so _leave_."

"What happened?" James blinked. Avery waved at the bed, and he followed him to stare at the blood. Suddenly, he looked sick. "Merlin…"

"Is she okay?" Remus asked them, scared for his friend.

"No!" Sirius snapped. "Fucking Dolohov attacked her, what the hell do you think?"

"But she can handle him," James shook his head. "I don't get it. She can take the Prewett twins! What did he _do_-,"

"James, he didn't just attack her with magic," Remus told him gently, suddenly understanding. "He… oh, god."

"She's scared and she's broken," Sirius told his friends. "And you know she's proud. No one outside of this room finds out until she tells them."

"I still don't get it," James said in frustration. "What did he do?"

"James," Remus took in a deep breath. "You said she taught you about consent."

"Yeah…"

"And if there is none, and it happens anyway…"

James paled dramatically. "_Addy_ was…?"

"Why are you all acting like it's a taboo word?" Adelaide asked them, swinging the door open. "It's the action that's taboo, not the fucking word. It's called rape."

Sirius blinked at Dorea. "What did you do to her? She could barely talk before."

"I talked to her," she explained. "And I took the memory. She knows it happened but she doesn't feel it as much. It's what all healers do if they get to the patient the night of the trauma. She still needs counseling but she's much clearer minded and calmer now."

"Wow," Remus breathed.

"I don't care that you're all here," Adelaide told them slowly, toweling off her hair as she moved to her chair by the window, eyeing the blood on her sheets. Dorea seemed to have healed what she could while she was in there, too, but without supplies it was hard. The cut on her cheek had already scarred over. "But bring everyone else, too. They'll find out and I refuse to wait and go through it again."

Dorea smiled down at her. "I'll change your sheets and find them. In a little while, I have to take you to St. Mungo's."

"No."

Dorea sighed. "There's some things I can't heal. You need a specialist."

Adelaide hesitated. "Like what?"

Dorea looked at the people around hesitantly. "Anything inside."

Biting her lip hard, Adelaide nodded firmly. "Okay, after I talk to my friends."

Dorea smiled kindly and, with Sirius and Regulus still on the bed, vanished the sheets from the bed and into her arms. She levitated them into the air and promptly set them on fire, burning them away.

It took only a few minutes for Leon, Severus, and Lily to rush up to her room and move inside. Dorea had called Lily stating an emergency, and she'd been grateful for the excuse to leave. Leon moved to look at Adelaide shaking violently - irritated side effects - and the healed cut in her cheek.

"What happened?" He asked her.

"Dolohov," she told him slowly. Looking at all of her friends, she sucked in a breath. "He attacked me. Um, assaulted me."

Lily locked eyes with her quickly. "He assaulted you, as in cursed you, or…?"

"The other one," she told them. It was hard to say the word again and as much as she believed what she had said, the word only made her remember. It was a difficult balance between hatred and acceptance of what had happened and she was swinging wildly back and forth. The thought of saying she was raped made her feel distant and like she was having some sort of out of body experience. Only the touch of her friends began to bring her back to herself as the calming draught wore off.

All three of them, however, understood swiftly. Their reactions varied. Lily let out a cry and grabbed her hand while Severus braced himself on the bed, looking sick.

Leon, however, paled and whispered "fuck" so quietly she could barely hear. He looked devastated and refused to catch her eye.

"Last year, Dolohov tried this," Avery told them. "I stopped it. Now he's… we all need to watch her. And him. He's got it out for her."

"He's going to go to prison, isn't he?" Sirius asked. Adelaide snorted from her chair.

"No. No one cares about sexual assault. They'll find a way to blame me. I won't press charges just to be brushed off or called a liar. A slut, like Yaxley said."

"Adelaide," Sirius hissed.

"It's true!"

"How could they say that?" He asked sharply. "It's not your fault!"

"They don't give a fuck what happens to me!" She snapped back.

"She's right," Lily whispered. "My aunt… she went through this. She tried to have the man sent to prison and instead he was set free and she was attacked for trying to 'ruin his reputation.' She had to move."

"So we protect her," Severus interrupted firmly, his voice soft.

"Yeah," James agreed, nodding hard. "Well keep you safe, Addy."

Her mind drifted to her fifth year, her eyes sliding to Severus. He'd had the chance to help her and he hadn't. Had she told him to do that? Or had he known at all?

"Sure."

Xx

A month later and the news had gotten out. Not far and to people she trusted, but certainly more people than she wanted to know. Everyone acted like she was so breakable and it drove her crazy. She'd been told she was suppressing the event but she didn't care, especially considering how unaffected she felt.

Her friends only relaxed when she told them she'd hex them all the next time someone hesitated before touching her.

The biggest issue was, unsurprisingly, Sirius. She'd known Regulus would handle it better, and while he did have his own breakdown, Sirius had a harder time. She saw darkness grow behind his eyes, one agonizingly familiar to the dark, older version of him.

She made a point to spend time with him especially to show him that she was okay, but after awhile, she wondered if his issue wasn't concern for her mental state after all. Eventually, she pulled him into an empty classroom and frowned at him.

"Tell me what it is. You know I'm fine. What is it?"

He blinked at her, his typical frown firmly on his lips. "I don't know what you mean."

"Ever since New Year's, Sirius. I thought you were just overly worried about me but that's not it. So what's going on?"

He let out a slow sigh, leaning up against the wall across from her. "Did Reg tell you how we found you?"

"No," she shook her head. "I assumed he was just coming to meet me like we planned."

He frowned. "Not at all. Mother was taking awhile to get ready. We wouldn't have shown up for another thirty minutes, most likely."

"Then how…?"

"Reg _felt it_. He could feel you were being hurt, your distress. He told Father and he took us over ahead of them so we could find you. He wanted to come help but Reg told him not to."

Adelaide felt herself pale horribly. She wondered vaguely if she was even breathing. "He… I didn't know. I didn't even know that was possible, Sirius… and this is what's been bothering you?"

"What bothers me is that Regulus was about to kill Dolohov," he told her bluntly. "I saw it. An old, very old spell. He would've killed him but I put up a shield and just hit him with a Bombarda instead."

She felt slightly dizzy and braced herself against the desk behind her. "Fuck."

"I've never seen him so angry," Sirius told her softly. "The Blacks have a history of going mad, of not being all there. I thought Reg and I were fine, unaffected by all that until I saw him standing over you, Addy. I am worried about you. I'm terrified, actually. But what's bothering me the most is that I'm sitting here wondering how far he'd go for you… I think I know the answer."

"I can't be _that_ important," she denied. Though she admitted silently to herself that she _was_. She knew it, and she felt it.

"Neither of you have said anything, Kitten, but I can feel your bond. You're family now. So I guess… I wonder what I'd do for you, too."

She stared at him, speechless. She wasn't supposed to be that important. She loved them both of course but… to inspire such uncontrollable rage was unsettling. And she'd never seen Regulus like that, but she had seen Sirius. Things settled into place now and she understood Sirius's horror and absolute murderous fury when he'd pulled Dolohov off of her in the final battle. She'd been forced to ensure he didn't just kill the man, and had distracted him with mentions of Harry. Her stomach churned at the thought, and she lowered her head.

"We're gonna take care of you," Sirius promised her. "You're my sister, no matter what. So I'll always take care of you."

She gave him a small smile. "I know you will."

Xx

Regulus stroked her hair gently as she read her book, pointedly ignoring the shouts of her friends as they practiced for the upcoming match against Ravenclaw. Lily had left thirty minutes earlier when James transfigured her book into a dozen lilies and asked her out. He was given a large bump on his head before she stormed off to find Marlene and possibly McGonagall to change the book back, since she reluctantly admitted she didn't know how.

"Have you given any more thought to it?" Regulus whispered to her, smiling down at her. She lowered her book and stared right back up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"I will _not_ get involved with pranks, Reg," she repeated herself for what felt like the hundredth time. "_Especially_ if Peter is involved."

"It's _one_ prank," he reminded her. "If it helps, I can hex Peter."

"Best not," she told him reluctantly. "You're not supposed to bring attention to yourself, remember?"

"Yeah, but the idea made you happy."

"It did," she laughed. "I just don't get what's so important about this prank. It won't be dangerous really, why should I sabotage it?"

"It's a lot like the one Fred and George pulled," Regulus pointed out, poking her lightly. "And I don't want you to sabotage it, not really. I want you to make some adjustments."

"How did you even find out about this?"

"Honestly? They really don't know how to whisper."

She threw her head back in a laugh. He was right - they'd gotten multiple detentions for it, too. "What adjustments?"

"Well the spell they're going to use will turn the doors into stone and do the same for the windows," Regulus explained. "They plan on hiding out in their dorms. I just want you to do the same for them."

"But how do they get out?"

"Remus said the spell wears off after two hours," he told her with an evil smile. "Theirs should last for five."

She shook her head at her boyfriend. "Tell me again why I should do this."

"Because my birthday is tomorrow and I'd enjoy it," he grinned at the look of shock on her face. She flew up to look at him, her mouth hanging open. "You'll catch a fly, love."

"So you want me to lock up the entire school, but especially our friends?"

"Yep," he nodded. "So I can take you to Hogsmeade on a date. My real birthday present."

Her eyes lit up. "I think I can get on board with that."

"Good," he pecked her cheek lightly. "I assume you know the correct spells."

She grinned. "I never pranked because it was childish, but I do know how. Fred and George are geniuses. I didn't tell anyone but they gave me private lessons on obscure spells."

He winked at her. "Tomorrow at nine. We'll head for Hogsmeade."

Xx

James stared at the wall, his mouth hanging open. "She tricked us!"

"I knew we should be suspicious," Remus sighed, plopping down onto his bed. "She never pranks."

"I was so excited," Sirius pouted sadly. "I thought we'd finally converted her."

"Mate, she's about as likely to genuinely prank with us as Lily is to say yes to James," Remus told his friend lightly.

"Hey!"

"If you'd stop harassing her, she might say yes," Remus pointed out to James. "Asking her out every time you see her is not a good tactic."

"She's gonna say yes one day," he nodded firmly. "That is… if we ever get out of here."

Xx

Regulus grinned stupidly at Adelaide. The pair was sitting on a bench near a cluster of trees at the entrance to Hogsmeade, taking in the view of spring.

Adelaide was turned to stare at the flowers budding on the trees and noticed him staring only after a full minute. She laughed, throwing her head back. "What are you doing?"

"I'm staring at you," he admitted easily. "What are you thinking?"

"This is nice," she smiled sweetly back at him. "And it's relaxing. You relax me. And the thought of locking up our friends is a plus."

He laughed, nodding at her. "I told you it would be worth it."

"It was."

"Regulus," a voice greeted loudly.

Both of them froze, and Adelaide felt his hand press onto her own, silently telling her to stay quiet. She leaned back against the bench and pulled her cup of hot tea to her lips, hoping to hide her face. He stood and made his way over to Bellatrix and Rodolphus, giving Bellatrix a stiff hug.

"Bella," he greeted. "What brings you to Hogsmeade?"

"Business with Nott. He had a meeting with the board of directors, so we decided to meet here."

Adelaide shook her head slightly at Rodolphus, whose gaze had fallen on her nervously. She understood - he'd given her the very valuable information that he didn't want to be a Death Eater. While he didn't know that she could withstand torture, he did know that she was stronger than a fourth year had any right to be, which also made her out to be unusual - something she did _not_ want to seem in the face of Bellatrix. Unfortunately for her, his gaze lingered too long and Bellatrix followed his line of sight.

"Oh, Regulus," Bellatrix drawled, moving closer. "Is this a friend of yours?"

She could see Regulus tense as his cousin got nearer, and the second Bellatrix touched her shoulder curiously, he made to move at her. Adelaide stood abruptly and reached her hand out, everything in her begging her to get out of there. The panic she felt was close to taking over, but luckily she knew how to hide her fear and Bellatrix was none the wiser.

"Miah," she introduced herself hastily. The name was picked from her original name, a nickname she'd been given as a child. She'd hated it always and asked them how they got Miah from Hermione, but the nickname never let up until she left school for Hogwarts. "Miah Welch. I'm visiting from France, my parents moved there when I was a small child."

"Oh, how nice," Bellatrix hummed, turning back around to look at her cousin again. "We're going to be late. I'll see you this weekend, Regulus!"

"Of course."

Bellatrix danced off toward the Hog's Head, and Rodolphus leaned over to her.

"Did you ever figure out your… problem?"

"I did," she gave him a small smile. "The Mark wasn't removed but the magic, the core was. My friend is much better."

"Perhaps when all of this is over… you could help me, too."

"I'd love to, but you'll have to wait for my owl when it does end," she promised with a nod. He kissed the back of her hand and walked off after his wife, leaving Regulus and Adelaide alone once more, though Adelaide was significantly less calm.

"Do you want to go back to the castle?" he asked her gently, touching her arm in concern.

"No," she denied, pulling him back down onto the bench and resting her head on his shoulder. "Like I said, you relax me. I'm better off with you."

"I never said I was leaving you," he chuckled at her, stroking her hair with his arm wrapped around her. She nuzzled into his neck as she tried to rid herself of the sight of Bellatrix behind her eyes.

The pair sat there for another hour, and by the time they headed into the Three Broomsticks, she'd calmed down incredibly. He found them a seat by a window and sat next to her, grabbing her hand as they waited for their food. Once they finished eating, he moved to stand and leave and she grabbed his arm.

"I have something for you," she smiled at him. "Did you think you'd get away without any presents?"

"...I'd hoped so."

Rolling her eyes at him, she reached into her beaded bag and grabbed the silver box up top, holding it out for him. Eyeing her, he plucked it lightly from her hand and released the bow on top. He opened the box and, after a moment, looked up at her. "There's more to this?"

She nodded once happily. "Did you know that when I was staying in Grimmauld Place, I read practically every book in the library?"

He nodded slowly. "I'd be shocked if you hadn't."

"_Well_, I learned a lot of interesting magic in that time. Some of it just theory that hadn't been tested, but a lot of magic nonetheless."

"What did you do, Addy?" he questioned, actually getting nervous.

"Well, first I asked Sirius to get those books for me. He snuck them out over break."

"Tell me what it does, Little Lion."

"It heats up when one of us is in danger," she told him. "And I charmed it like my galleons so it can transfer messages."

"This is… incredible," he breathed, picking up the silver and green ring from the box. He slipped it on his middle finger, smiling as it resized to fit him perfectly.

"Ah, it also has a few general protection charms. You should be fine under any light curses or hexes."

"Did you make one for yourself?"

She nodded a little and pulled out a simple silver ring that twisted into a beautiful infinity knot, placing it on her right hand ring finger. "The messages will appear in the air but only we can see them so be careful not to stare around people."

He looked at her for a long moment before placing his hand behind her head and slowly, gently pulling her in. The second their lips touched, she let out a soft, happy sigh and scooted a little closer.

"Aren't you two supposed to be in school?"

Adelaide let out a squeak as she jumped back from Regulus, making him laugh. She blushed, smiling up at Madame Rosmerta. "_Technically_, but also technically everyone got locked inside whatever room they were in because of a horrible prank and we snuck out for his birthday."

The women shook her head at them, plucking their empty glasses from the table. "Just be careful, kids. It's not as safe as it used to be, especially without adults around."

"You're around," Adelaide pointed out.

"Not once you leave," the witch fired back. "Why don't I have Rosa walk you back to the castle? Her shift just ended."

"Not necessary," Regulus promised. "We'll be safe. They're probably just about free, anyways. What time is it?"

"Nearly two," Madame Rosmerta told him. Adelaide gasped loudly. "Why?"

"_They're out_," she whispered, tugging on Regulus's sleeve. "They'll know where we are if they don't find us in the Room!"

"Right," Regulus stood, nodding at the witch next to him. "Thank you, Madame Rosmerta. We'll be on our way now."

He pulled her quickly from the Three Broomsticks and stared hesitantly at the path to Hogwarts. "We might see them on the way there."

She grabbed the box for his ring and stuffed it back in her bag, grabbing his hand. She led him in the other direction through the village until they finally came upon a familiar sight.

"The Shrieking Shack?"

She nodded. "We'll use the tunnel to get back to the school and we can hide in Slytherin for the night so they forget it."

"Good plan," he agreed, slipping past the fence. The grass was patchy and dead, getting darker the closer they got to the house. She opened the door for him and waved him inside, closing it behind herself and locking it shut. "Where's the tunnel?"

"In the basement," she nodded at the stairs. "One flight down- ah!"

Regulus spun around, stopping dead in his tracks. Before him stood a large, black dog that he recognized as Sirius, along with a stag that held a rat on his back. Adelaide stood glaring furiously at Remus, who held his wand up in his hand and cast a spell to bind her - not tight, but too tight for her to escape.

"What the hell, Remus?" She snapped. "Let me go!"

"Sorry, Addy," he shrugged. "You can get out of those ropes easily."

"_How_?"

"By shifting."

She narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"

"Shift into your animagus form," he smiled evilly at her. "You made me take an oath not to tell anyone what it is, and I've upheld it. However, I never said I wouldn't help them figure it out through other means."

"This is cruel," she told him, sounding betrayed. "You agreed they'd make fun of me!"

"Of course they will," Remus scoffed. "But you can just hex them. Plus… Addy, you locked us in our dorm for five hours. We got _bored_. I left my book in the common room!"

Her eyes trailed over to her boyfriend. "Hex him!"

Regulus hesitated. "Um…"

"Regulus!"

"Love, you're a war hero. I am not. He's probably the most advanced in your year and he's got great instincts. Plus, he does have a wand pointed at you."

"Okay, but he's a wimp and he wouldn't hurt me," she reasoned. "Help me."

His lips thinned. Hearing those words made him want to jump to her defense immediately, but he knew it was a lost cause. Remus might not hurt her, but he could see the boy hexing him instead, and Adelaide did _not_ need that, not with her short temper. "It's not a big deal, Little Lion. Just show them your animagus form."

"You don't understand. Sirius will mock me for the rest of my life. He won't see me for god knows how many years and the first thing he says to me when I get back, I promise you, is a joke about this."

He rolled his eyes. "And you'll hex him and it'll be fine."

"Sirius is one of the three people that actually taught me to fight! I've never been able to hex him unless he lets me."

Sirius's head tilted to the side in intrigue, and he trotted over to nudge her with his snout. She stared up at him, silver eyes meeting gold, and let out a sigh. "Fine, but the first joke he makes, I get to hex him."

Sirius nodded his head quickly, and she closed her eyes. Her body shrunk and turned distinctly furry until she was able to wriggle free from her ropes. Finally, she stood strong in her fox form, her eyes pinned on Sirius.

A look in her eye that Regulus knew well.

"Addy, no- no! Adelaide!" He yelled, diving for her. He was too late, and she'd jumped at her friend, biting at his neck. He swatted her away, pressing a paw on her chest when she landed on her back. She bit his paw hard, and he retreated, giving her an opening to bite at his shoulder. He let out a yelp and scratched at her hard, trying to push her away. She hissed loudly, retreating for a moment only until she sped around his side and chomped down on his tail.

"They're bleeding!" Regulus stared at Remus. "You're not concerned?"

"Nah," Remus shook his head. "Sirius is officially trying to become my beta. Addy is currently. This… is not going to go well for them. I already told him it wouldn't work. My wolf would have to agree and he… doesn't."

When Regulus looked back, they'd knocked over a chair and Sirius pressed his paws down onto her legs, holding her down. Regulus felt it coming before it happened, and he ran forward, pushing Sirius off of her. He righted himself and growled in the back of his throat. Regulus ignored it and glared at his brother. "Do you think _pinning her down_ was the best idea?"

Sirius paused, his eyes drifting back to Adelaide, who had limped over to Remus and curled into his lap, shaking. The other boy had made to follow but instead sat down as soon as Regulus intervened, instinctively knowing Adelaide would come to him in her animagus form. Sirius's head lowered, and he laid down to put it between his paws.

Regulus could feel faint panic rising in him and was totally unsure whether it was his own concern or Adelaide's feelings being sent through their bond. He scooted over and pressed a hand to her back, petting her gently. She sighed in relief, and he felt some of the panic dissipate, telling him that it had come from both of them.

A full thirty minutes later found the situation diffused with Sirius licking at Adelaide's paw lazily.

"Are you guys just… going to stay like that?" James asked. The four boys stood staring down at their friends. "We should _really_ get back to school."

Sirius looked from them back to Adelaide and abruptly picked her up by the scruff of her neck and stood. She decidedly did not like that idea if the way she barked and scratched at his chest and legs said anything about it. He only dropped her when she got a particularly deep scratch in, and she immediately shifted back.

"If you _ever_ do that again I will tell Harry about the time you called James 'daddy.'"

Sirius shifted back now too, looking horrified. "That's not fair! I'd just woken up!"

"Yeah, but it's still embarrassing," she pointed out. "I'll tell Harry _so much. _And just remember how much he looks up to you, Sirius. And loves you. Do you really want him knowing you called James _daddy_?"

"Fine," Sirius breathed out in a huff. "You're no fun."

"You both know you're bleeding, right?" James pointed out.

"We are?"

Regulus touched her cheek lightly, frowning at her wince. "Are you sore? Leon knew our plan so he isn't in the castle but I can call him."

"I'm fine," she waved him off, glancing at her scratched legs and arms. "Just a little beat up. But I won, so-,"

"You did not!" Sirius gasped dramatically, placing his hand on his chest in offense. "We stopped but I was totally winning!"

"Sirius," Remus tapped his shoulder lightly. "Adelaide is my beta and that isn't going to change."

"I hate you all."

Xx

"Foxy."

"That's not even creative," she scowled, slapping away his hand as he reached his fork over for a bite of her cauldron cake.

"I don't know anything about foxes," he defended. "Just your tail is fluffy but Peter already has a tail name."

"I'd prefer to _not _have a name at all," she pointed out.

"You have to have one! We all do."

"No," she disagreed. "You four are Marauders. I'm not, I'm just here."

"Addy," Sirius whined. "Don't you wanna be close with us?"

"I already am, you dolt," she rolled her eyes at him. "You were the one that mentioned I'm your sister now. Did you forget that?"

"No. But it'd be so cool!"

"If you give me a nickname," she said slowly, putting her fork down and standing up. "I won't tell you how to finish your map."

"My- the what?"

"Seriously, you don't think I know about it? We used that thing constantly. It saved my life during the final battle and it's how you found me when-,"

"When what?"

"Nothing," she waved him off. "That's not the point. I'm just saying, I know how it works. You and Remus explained it to me."

"We've been stuck for months," he complained. "We just can't quite get everyone's names labeled to track them."

"Yeah, and the answer is really simple. So first, promise no nickname and I'll tell you. Hell, I'll even help you do it."

"Fine, I promise."

"Good. To get the names, you have to sneak into Dumbledore's office and enchant the Map to follow the registry - it has names of every student that's ever gone to or will go to Hogwarts, as well as a list of teachers. Visitors are temporarily added for Dumbledore's own tracking charms."

"So it'll get _everyone_?" Sirius gaped.

"Everyone. And once you connect them, it'll update constantly."

"You said we have to break into his office," his eyes lit up. "Are you going to help us break into Dumbledore's office?"

"Yep," she shrugged. "I've got something I need to do in there, anyway. And I know where he hides the registry."

"Brilliant! Can we go tonight?"

"Tomorrow," she disagreed. "He's got the Wizengamot meeting and it'll be a big one - I heard they're voting on an official war council, so it'll probably go late."

"Merlin… it's that bad?"

"Dumbledore already has his secret order," she sighed. "He recognized my mark. He also knew he didn't give it to me, I assume the magical signature is built into the mark itself."

"Is that bad?"

"It just means he probably knows something is going to happen to him before I get it. Which explains why he keeps trying to set up meetings with me."

Sirius hummed. "You can't avoid him forever."

"Sirius, I have a _strong_ urge to Obliviate him. Aberforth said no, but I will if he pries information from me. He's not good at listening to other people and he's got a god complex. I refuse to deal with him and his messed up ego."

"Man, you really hate him."

"In the future I heard you, more than once, call him Dumblecunt."

Sirius burst into laughter. "That's great!"

A smile poked through her frown. "It made me happy."

Xx

"That was so easy," Remus commented in shock. "How did you do that?"

"During the end of the war, Sn- um, the Headmaster running Hogwarts had locked the office. We needed to get in during the final battle, and so Sirius showed me how to get past the Gargoyle. It's an official spell of emergency to get in and it only works if Hogwarts agrees with your actions."

"Hogwarts wants us to sneak into his office to mess with the registry?"

She shrugged, walking over to the far wall behind his desk that held a table full of trinkets and magical tools. "Yeah. If you don't do this, it'll mess up the timeline. It's safer for everyone."

"So what, Hogwarts is all knowing? And… for that matter, sentient?" Sirius asked her, picking up a whirling blue ball from the table to look at it.

"Yes, she is."

"_She_?"

Adelaide raised an eyebrow at him. "You think this magnificent school is a _he_?"

"N-no."

She nodded once and waved her wand over the table and wall, watching them both disappear to reveal a hidden nook in the wall that held a stand, on which the large, red and gold book sat.

"Woah," James breathed. "That's the registry?"

"Yep. Give me the map," she requested. Remus pulled it from his pocket and handed it over. It was already opened, and she smiled at it fondly. "_Nomina transferuntur_."

The registry and map both lit up in white light, and she grinned at the sight of names and footprints slowly filling up the pages.

"That's amazing," Remus muttered. "That's everyone!"

"Yeah," she laughed. "I'm terrified of how you guys are going to use it."

"Pranks, obviously. What did you guys use it for?"

She tilted her head. "Harry used it for the first time to sneak out of school because he wasn't allowed to go to Hogsmeade. After that, he used it because he saw the name of someone that was meant to be dead, and therefore he assumed it would be a bright idea to follow. Remus took it from him after that and gave it back at the end of the year, and from then on we just used it to stay out of as much trouble as possible. It was bloody useful in fifth year."

"The year with the insane teacher?" Remus wondered.

"Sadistic is more like it," she mumbled in response. Finally, the paper and book stopped glowing and she handed it back to them and hid away the registry once more. "You guys go ahead, I've got something I need to do."

"What's that?"

She raised an eyebrow at James. "Nothing important."

"She's a little scary lately, you notice that?" James mumbled to Sirius, shoving him toward the door. Once the boys were gone, she took a deep breath and moved around the office, slowly placing the same undetectable charm on multiple objects throughout the entire room. Once she'd charmed near ninety trinkets, she felt comfortable leaving. With the door locked behind her, she relaxed and made her way down the corridor.

Ten minutes later, she sat in the Room of Requirement with Regulus, Severus, Avery, and Leon. They were gathered around, staring at her, and she smiled back.

"Addy, that was-,"

"Stupid!" Severus finished for Avery, who blinked in surprise.

"I was going to say a bit dangerous but sure."

"You could've gotten caught!" Her brother told her firmly. "What if he catches the spell? What if his wards do?"

"I don't think they will. I tested this - I've _been_ testing this for over a year. It'll record everything he says in meetings in that office for me and write it down. I made this charm and tested it on as many wards as I could and so far, it slips through with no issues. As for Dumbledore, he didn't find us so there's no use worrying about it."

"And you couldn't have told us ahead of time?" Leon asked her, slightly annoyed.

"Look, I had them nearby," she explained. "And we had to finish their stupid map. If anything happened, I could've easily called them back in there or even just Apparated out."

"Do you even think you'll figure anything out? I mean, the meetings weren't held in Hogwarts."

She nodded at Leon. "You're right, they weren't. But that's just because Sirius offered Grimmauld Place for the Order, and since he was the only living heir, he could control the wards."

"The Black family wards are probably the only ones that can get even close to those of Hogwarts," Regulus agreed. "So you think they'll meet here?"

"I do," she confirmed. "Plus, Harry showed me a picture of the Order in a few years standing in his office."

"Ah."

"The spell will alert my wand when certain key words are said in his office," she told them. "Like my name or Leon's, even the boys, the Order of the Phoenix, Voldemort, Riddle, Death Eaters, any of your names, along with a few others. You get the point."

"And you actually think you need to spy on him?" Avery questioned. "You know quite a lot, what could you possibly need if you can't change things?"

"I'd like to know who to look out for," she began slowly. "And how wary I need to be of him. Also I'd like to keep track of Order members for various reasons, and I want to know generally how bad things are."

"And where will you keep it all?" Leon asked her. "The dorms aren't safe, you've got McKinnon in there but also three other girls this year, and I know for a fact that Zabini is a Death Eater."

She blinked in surprise. "I thought you said Blaise wasn't?"

"_Blaise_ wasn't but his mother was," he told her. "She kept sending him on vacation and keeping him at school - generally as far away as possible from Voldemort. She only came to a few meetings before he decided she was useless."

"Maybe she's trustworthy-,"

"_No_," Leon cut her off quickly. "She is not. She's a Slytherin through and through. She does what she can to get what she wants, no matter what."

"Merlin," she sighed, leaning against Regulus. "I met her once, she didn't seem too bad."

"I assume this was fourth year during the final task?"

"Yeah…"

"She wanted to meet Krum."

Adelaide's mouth fell open. "You're kidding."

"Little Lion, you are surprised that a Slytherin tricked you," Regulus pointed out. She blushed a little and nodded.

"Good point."

"Who is Krum?" Avery wondered curiously, tilting his head at Leon.

"A famous Quidditch player," Leon told him. "Adelaide dated him for a large part of our fourth year. She was the only person he got close to."

"Addy dated a famous Quidditch player," Avery chuckled. "She doesn't even like Quidditch."

"Hey!" she narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Quidditch isn't the only thing he knew. He was an amazing duelist and wonderful in charms and transfiguration. He really didn't mind that I don't like Quidditch since that's all anyone wanted to talk to him about."

"_And_ he was three years older than you," Regulus poked her side with a grin. He always enjoyed making fun of her for her first relationship, something that always served to annoy her.

"Reg," she elbowed his side. "Let it go!"

"Your only boyfriend before coming to the past was a world famous seventeen year old Quidditch player that couldn't even pronounce your name," he laughed. "I'm not letting that go."

Xx

"James Charlus Potter, you leave me alone!"

Adelaide's head snapped to the side at the sound of Lily's voice. The girl was obviously near tears, so she rushed over to see what was happening.

"Lils, I just wanted-,"

"And I told you no!"

"But-,"

"If you keep bothering me I will…. I'll…. I'll write to your mother!" Lily decided, nodding firmly at the horrified boy.

"Lily!"

"Leave me alone," she glared at him, daring him to keep annoying her. To her relief, he rushed back into the castle.

"Merlin, that was a good thought," Adelaide told her friend. "He's terrified of his mother."

"That woman is everything I want to be when I grow up," Lily giggled, relaxing now that James had left. "She's so… fierce."

"She grew up in Sirius's family, actually. She's a Slytherin, too."

"_Really_?" Lily stared. "But you guys are so…"

"Evil?" Adelaide teased.

"No, just… I don't know. Hard to read, I guess. She's not."

"We like to be hard to read so we can understand the situation and act accordingly. She's different - she's clear about what she wants because she knows she can get it no matter what. _That's _why she's so scary. Did you know she greeted Walburga with a threat in front of the entire party this year? I wasn't there but Avery told me because he thought it would cheer me up."

Lily burst into another fit of giggles. "Whatever the threat was, I hope she followed through."

"I don't think she did, unfortunately."

"Too bad. I'd have enjoyed seeing her hex Walburga."

"I think we _all_ would've enjoyed it."

Xx

"I'm going to _destroy _you!" She screamed, her wand out at the rodent in front of her. "You dirty little rat!"

"Adelaide!" Marlene ran over, placing a hand on her wand arm. "You're threatening a rat!"

"Yeah!" She snapped, placing the rat in a full body bind. "It's not just a fucking rat, Marls."

"What are you talking about? Of course it is."

She harrumphed at her friend's disbelief and levitated the rat onto the floor before casting the familiar spell at it. Marlene let out a scream and took a few steps back until her back hit the wall.

"Pettigrew!" She yelled angrily. "What the fuck are you doing in Addy's underwear drawer, you dirty arsehole!"

His eyes darted around wildly, and Adelaide levitated him again, this time down the stairs.

"Addy, what's going- what the hell?" Regulus froze, his eyes firmly on the frozen boy.

"This _rat_ was rifling around in my underwear drawer!" She replied sharply, letting Pettigrew fall hard to the floor. Her eyes shifted to her boyfriend and she saw a dark flash of anger as he tensed.

"I can take care of him."

"Oh no you can't," she rolled her eyes. "I don't trust you."

"You _do_ trust me, and you hate being around him," he argued in a low tone. "Just go back to your dorm and check on Marlene."

"I'm not leaving you here to hex him half to death, Reg."

"He was in your underwear drawer!" He snapped. She flinched back a little, staring at him silently. Regulus took in a deep breath before he spoke again. "I'm sorry."

"I'm taking him to Slughorn," she told him, ignoring the apology as she waved her wand at the frozen boy again. "I'll see you at dinner."

With that, she marched from the room leaving her boyfriend behind, staring dejectedly after her. She glared angrily at Pettigrew as she walked, her mood much darker after running into Regulus.

"Adelaide! Have you- oh, shit."

Her eyes snapped to Sirius, who looked absolutely horrified. "Sirius. Did you know about this?"

"We didn't know until it was too late," he said sincerely. "It was a challenge but your dorm and Lily's were supposed to be off limits."

"I found him in my underwear!"

"Aw, come on, Pete!" Sirius scrunched up his nose. "That was not part of the plan!"

"I don't know what game you're playing but Sirius, if he comes anywhere near me again I will hex his bollocks into his throat."

Horror filled her friend's face. "You can do that?"

"I bloody well will figure it out if he gets near me _ever again_," she assured him. "Now I'm taking him to Slughorn. Unless you want me to mention your name too, I'd get out of my way."

He hurriedly stepped to the side, the shock and horror not quite gone yet as she marched on toward the potions classroom - a room that had a lot of first years in class at the moment, which is how Adelaide found herself rushing through the castle with a stunned and bound Peter floating in front of her toward Dumbledore's office. Unfortunately for her, the Gargoyle shook his head, letting her know he was out.

"Argh!" She tapped her foot in frustration.

"Miss- Miss Snape, _what _are you doing?"

Relief rushed through her at the sight of McGonagall. "Professor McGonagall! I'm so happy to see you. I found Peter in my dorm looking through my underwear! Slughorn is busy, so I went to find Dumbledore but-,"

"Professor Dumbledore is out until tonight," the woman nodded. "Well, come, come. Mister Pettigrew is my student, after all. You say he got into your dorm?"

"He did. I don't know how, since the stairs should turn into a slide, but Marlene McKinnon saw him as well."

"Oh, my…"

Xx

"Something is happening!"

Regulus reached out for her arm as she stumbled off of the chair to run for the parchment across the room as words were quickly being written down. The pair of them had fallen asleep hours earlier after a long Occlumency session, and he'd been startled awake by her jumping from the chair.

"Addy, slow down," he requested of her.

She ran back over, already skimming the paper in her hands. "Um… huh, okay."

"What is it?"

"It looks like the orphanage burned down," she told him. "Last month."

"The one near the cave?"

"Yeah," she leaned back against him again, nodding at the paper that he could now read.

"Who do you think he's talking to?" He wondered, looking over the recent conversation.

"He had a meeting with Fabian and Gideon," she guessed. "He said so yesterday when talking to McGonagall about James's place on the team next year. I'm pretty sure he's going to be captain."

"Merlin," Regulus sighed. "His ego does not need that."

"Definitely not," she agreed quietly, reading over the conversation as it progressed. "Dumbledore thinks there's a reason it was burned down. Maybe it was because of my visit, but I'd assume he'd have done that immediately. Maybe he's only just gotten around to it? To hide who he really is?"

"I doubt he would just sit on the knowledge that someone knows who he really is," Regulus thought with a frown. "So if he does know someone visited, he'd be looking for them as well… for you."

"I should be okay," she promised. "I was my adult self and I went in with a fake name. Well, with my real name, but my first one, so I'll be okay."

"Your eyes, Little Lion. They're one of a kind."

She swore quietly. "We'll deal with that if it comes to it."

Regulus paused, plucking the parchment from his hands to read it over closely.

"Reg? What is it?"

He looked at her before looking back to read it out loud to her. "'Professor Dumbledore, what have you done for Miss Snape? Lady Potter told us she let you know what happened.'"

Her eyes sharpened on her boyfriend as he levitated the paper in front of them both so they could read together.

"_Miss Snape has many friends surrounding her. I assure you, she's fine." _

"_She is not! What did Lady Potter tell you?" _

"_I was told that Mister Dolohov attacked her at Christmas and that she's recovering." _

"_I apologize if this is a difficult or awkward situation, Dumbledore, but one of your students was raped by another. You're doing nothing to protect her?" _

Adelaide was unable to help the whimper she let out at the sight of the words. Regulus pulled her closer into his side.

"Maybe we should put this down," he suggested quietly.

"It might be important," she managed, looking back at the parchment.

"_You are endangering your student!" _

"_If anything happens here, I will do everything I can for her-,"_

"_Fine! I accept the offer. If you refuse to protect her, someone has to." _

"_I must say, I don't understand your attachment to her." _

"_Everyone is attached to her. Your own brother cares for her. It's not our fault that you apparently have no bloody heart." _

"_Fab-,"_

"_Are we done, Professor Dumbledore? Because I apparently have lesson plans to make." _

"_We're done."_

"Are you okay?"

Adelaide nodded slowly at Regulus, squeezing his hand tightly all the while. "Yeah, I'm just- what?"

Both glanced at the paper, which had already begun writing again, and this time they saw he'd greeted McGonagall and Slughorn both.

"_Professors, thank you for coming. I know you only have an hour until your classes resume, but this is important. Miss Adelaide Snape. What do you know about her?"_

"What the hell?" Adelaide blinked.

"_She skips her classes rather often, but she's very kind and a good influence on her friends, Potter, Black, and Lupin." _

"_She's wonderful in class, when she comes. As Minerva said, she skips whenever she feels like it. She gathers a rather large amount of house points for us as well. She is exceptionally bright." _

"_You haven't seen her do anything odd? Questionable?"_

"_The times when she comes into class shaking like a leaf is all that comes to mind. I worry for her, but I do not believe she's any trouble." _

"_I once caught her sneaking into Gryffindor Tower. Sirius Black let her in. I went to kick her out but they were sitting on a couch, and she was crying." _

"_I see… I'd like for you both to keep an eye on her. I believe she might be dangerous." _

"_I'm not sure I agree, Albus-,"_

"_Minerva, please."_

"_You don't believe she's a Death Eater, do you?"_

"_Oh no, nothing like that. However, while we're on the subject, have you come across any new students?" _

"_Our list as of now is Avery, Dolohov, Travers, the Carrow twins, Zabini, Regulus Black, and a few others. Word is that Voldemort is desperate for Sirius Black as well. He is branching out to Ravenclaw, thus Travers joining."_

"_Keep watching. We must know who we will be fighting in… only a few years." _

"_Do you think it a good idea to keep them in school, Albus? Surely it would be safer to send them away." _

"_If the devil is to rest, let him rest in my home." _

"_That's ridiculous." _

"_Thank you for your opinion, Minerva." _

"She's right, that's absolutely ridiculous," Adelaide muttered. Regulus shifted next to her and she gasped lightly. "Not saying I want you to leave, love, I just think… you know, strategically, it's hypothetically safer to- shut up."

Regulus chuckled at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You get flustered so easily."

"Shut up."

Xx


	6. Chapter 5

**July 2nd, 1975**

**Spinner's End**

"I'm sure everything is fine."

Adelaide spun on her heel and pinned Leon with a glare. "Just like everything was fine during our sixth year? Hell, even our fifth?"

He shook his head. "He'll be better off than I was. He doesn't have any family working with Voldemort and he's a halfblood. He'll probably just be in the lower ranks, likely somewhat ignored."

"You just don't know that, Draco."

"I'm worried too," Lily spoke up. "Is this what it was like? In the future, I mean."

"More or less," Adelaide replied slowly. "Draco was my only Death Eater friend and he was in a special position because of his father and Aunt."

"That's true," he agreed. "But I saw others join. They were essentially in the same spot as Severus and they were generally ignored."

"And they were still used as soldiers in the final battle," Adelaide reminded him sharply. "He's not going to ignore him completely. And besides, we've not seen him since Reg sent that letter so I'd assume he's not sitting on his ass, Malfoy."

Draco raised an eyebrow at her silently. "Malfoy?"

"You call me Granger all the time," she defended.

"Which probably isn't a good idea," Lily cut in. "Why can't you both remember your names? Addy, you've been here for five years and Leon has been here for four. That has to be long enough to remember."

Adelaide shrugged. "It's not so much that I don't remember. More that… I don't know. Our names are some of the last things we have from the future, you know? And it's been so long since we've seen everybody…"

"You really miss them," her friend guessed. "Tell me about them. Other than Harry."

Adelaide rolled her eyes. "Like who?"

"Um… how about Sirius and Remus? You're close with them in the future, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am. You know Remus was my third year DADA teacher, yeah?"

"Yeah, I think you mentioned that."

"He was the most… competent of all of them," Draco added in. "Besides Moody."

Adelaide stared at him. "Draco, Moody was being impersonated by Barty Crouch Junior. He Imperiused all of us! He showed us all of the Unforgivables! He was an awful teacher."

"Sure, but you know how to throw off the Imperius now, don't you?"

"Oh my god."

"You can throw off the Imperius?" Lily wondered, looking between her two friends. Draco nodded first.

"It's about focusing the mind. Granger?"

"Yeah, we can show you," Adelaide nodded, turning to face Draco.

"I mean… do you think it'll happen? People don't get Imperiused often, do they?"

Adelaide and Draco exchanged a look, and Draco shook his head. "After this war, a lot of people will claim that they only worked for Voldemort because of the Imperius. Now the fact is that you can't get the Dark Mark under the Imperius - I'm sure Adelaide could figure out and tell you why. My father actually claimed the Imperius and avoided Azkaban. That being said… yes. It is used in both wars. Truthfully, I think it was ridiculous of Crouch Junior to teach us how to throw it off, especially considering he was a Death Eater himself."

"I heard it was starting," Adelaide added. "When I was looking into the Dark Mark, I asked generally how things were going and I heard a lot about muggles and muggleborns being Imperiused into doing horrible things to further the hatred of them."

"That's horrible! Can you teach me how to do it?" Lily questioned. "I really… I don't want anyone to control me, especially like that."

Adelaide frowned. "I don't know how to cast the Imperius, just Confundo."

"I know how," Draco told them reluctantly.

"Show her on me first," Adelaide suggested. To her surprise, Draco immediately shook his head, looking horrified.

"Definitely not."

"Draco, come on. I know how to throw it off."

"_No_."

"Why?" she asked, shocked at his absolute refusal.

"Because to Imperius someone, you go into their mind," he told her with a deep frown. "You have to push away their typical thoughts and memories that are on the top of their mind to keep control of them."

"And what exactly do you think I think about all the time?"

"I don't know," he told her. "But I don't want to look in your mind."

"Draco, just do it," she told him, frustrated. "I promise it'll be fine. Then you never have to look inside my terrible mind again."

He stared her down for a long minute before nodding once, his face blank. He raised his wand at her, and she prepared herself.

"_Imperius_!"

She gasped lightly at the feeling of losing control of herself. She felt the urge to stand. She began to move, but stopped short at a question slipping into her mind: why? The question fought to be remembered as she was distracted by the aggressive need to stand up and move, the feeling of unease from sitting down. Still, she focused solely on wondering why she needed to move. The question was shoved to the back of her mind, and she felt her legs tickle with the feeling of the grass underneath her. The need to stand returned, and she moved a little. She questioned herself again _why_ she wanted to stand. Slowly, she felt the urge slip away, and she came back to herself, albeit with a strong headache.

"Merlin," she breathed. "That was harder than I remembered."

"I was, uh, rather proficient at the spell," he admitted. "Meanwhile Crouch Junior hadn't done magic in years since he'd been arrested."

"Oh," she blinked. "That hadn't occurred to me."

"But you looked completely normal," Lily told her. "What was happening?"

"Basically, it's like your mind is taken over entirely by the urge to do something - whatever thing the caster wants you to do. In this case, Draco wanted me to stand, to move somehow. I felt jittery and uncomfortable sitting, and I could feel each blade of grass tickling my legs. Your mind will react immediately and ask _why _you should do that thing, and most people don't pay attention to that - a good caster like Draco will notice that question and try and push it away. You have to hold onto it and try to drown everything else out."

"You were sitting there like that for about two minutes," Lily commented. "Does it usually take that long to throw it off?"

"Actually, it usually takes longer," Draco told her. "Granger has practice and her bond with Regulus protects her mind somewhat, so- oh, _shit_."

"What?" Adelaide asked, confused by his sudden panic.

"Granger, you have a _bond_."

"Yeah?"

"You have a _bond_ and I know you have those rings. _So_…"

She stiffened, looking down at her ring to see it glowing lightly. "But I wasn't in danger!"

"Not really, but an Unforgivable will register as danger to any security spell," he snapped, cursing under his breath. "He wouldn't be dumb enough to come, would he?"

Adelaide stared at him. "I'm not sure if you've _met _him but-,"

"Granger, this is serious!" Draco snapped.

"Addy," Lily muttered, tapping her side. Adelaide looked at her and followed her gaze, her chest tightening at the sight.

Across the street and just down the road was a large group of masked men in robes, all surrounding the Snape home with their wands pointed out at it. Adelaide let out a gasp and stood, running forward and apparating directly into the home, mid step. She arrived in the kitchen and grabbed onto Sarah's hand with no warning and immediately apparated her out, back to Lily's front yard. Sarah fell to the ground, having been on a chair, and Lily grabbed Adelaide before she could go back to the house to grab Lucas.

"No!" Adelaide cried out, watching the Death Eaters throw fire at multiple parts of the small home, causing it to burst into aggressive flames. "Fuck, oh my god-,"

"Hermione, come on!" Draco yelled at her, tugging her toward the home. She broke into a sprint toward their house as the Death Eaters slowly apparated away, leaving only one behind, standing there and waiting.

With her wand out, she pointed it at the Death Eater and began casting, holding up a shield with her other hand. Her curses were barely avoided, and the Death Eater put up a shield, raising his other hand in surrender. Suspicious, she moved over to him and kept her wand pointed at him. "We're _busy_. What do you want?"

"You're okay?"

She felt her breath catch in her chest. "Reg?"

"The ring-,"

"I don't have time to explain, but I'm fine. It was just the Imperius."

"_Just the Imperius_?"

"No, it's just- I know how to- fuck, Reg, is this Fiendfyre?"

"Yes, but I contained it to just that house," he promised her. She glanced over again and breathed out in relief when she saw he was right. Draco and Sarah were already fighting the raging fire, and she relaxed a little bit, feeling better about talking to her boyfriend.

"We were talking about the Imperius and Lily asked us to show her how to throw it off, so Draco-,"

"Leon."

"Cast it on me first. I'm perfectly fine, I promise."

Regulus grabbed the back of his head, moving back a little in frustration. "Adelaide, you can't do that! You don't understand. I can't come looking for you unless it's an emergency. One slip up and I'm dead, you know this."

"Then how can you be here right now?"

"Because I'm supposed to watch the house to make sure Lucas Snape doesn't make it out," he told her slowly. She felt her chest tighten at the reminder.

"I couldn't get to him in time," she whispered.

"It's not your fault," he promised. "If he'd lived through this, there'd have been another attack. He was the target."

"Reg," she bit her lip. "Severus, is he-,"

"He's safe," her boyfriend promised. "But it's bad. He's… Addy, it's not good. He was given a group to work with, mostly people in your year and above, and he's… he was paired with Dolohov."

Adelaide felt it coming before he said it, but it still devastated her all the same. "Oh."

"Riddle promised him that if Dolohov hurt you again, he'd be punished and they wouldn't work together again, but for now…"

"Right."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she forced a smile. "I, um… I should go help them."

"Addy," he called out, grabbing her hand. She looked up at him, her hair tickling her neck in the wind. He hesitated before he spoke, seemingly changing his mind at the last second. "We'll be okay."

"I'll see you in school, Reg."

"Please stay safe."

"Only if you do, too."

Xx

"No!" Lily screamed, throwing herself toward the house again. Adelaide shoved her back into Sarah's arms, trusting the older woman to watch her friend. She ran back into the house, pausing at the bottom of the stairs to cast a Patronus.

"To Albus Dumbledore, Alastor Moody, and Fabian and Gideon Prewett: there's an attack on Lily Evans' home. I can hold them off but I need support. Her father is badly injured already… I'm not sure about her mum."

She didn't bother to wait and watch the otter swim off but rather took the stairs two at a time. The door to the master bedroom slammed open and she shot off a smokescreen spell, followed by multiple stunners. She heard two bodies drop and cleared the air to find four Death Eaters remaining. Sucking in a breath, she began fighting them all at once, distracting them while Draco apparated in to grab Lily's parents and take them to the lawn so they'd be there for medical support on the off chance they could be saved. Once that was done, he came back and took on two of the Death Eaters, and the pair fought side by side as backup came for the Death Eaters.

It was a full ten minutes before anyone arrived to help them, and help came in the form of Fabian and Gideon, rushing in next to the two of them. The fight raged on with Moody and Andromeda arriving as well to help barely a minute later, and after a long hour of fighting, the Death Eaters retreated, only two of them being captured.

Adelaide ignored the questions from the adults that didn't know her and rushed out of the house to the lawn. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Lily sobbing over the bodies of her parents. Sarah held onto her, comforting her, and she bit her lip hard.

"Addy," Gideon called, chasing after her. "They've got questions."

"They can shove their questions up their ass," she snapped. "Lily's parents just died!"

"Fuck, Adelaide-," Fabian tried. He was cut off by Moody, who stormed past him and pushed Adelaide into the wall behind her, a wand pointed at her chest.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Alastor, get off of her," Fabian said, his voice dark. "She's just a kid."

"If she's a kid then so am I," he growled. "I can see the layers of magic over her!"

Adelaide blinked at him, distracted but concerned. "Really?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"Moody, back off," Gideon told him. "We can discuss this later, but not here and not now. Me and Fab can vouch for her."

"Not good enough."

"I'm from the bloody future," she ground out, frustrated. "Check my wrist and _let me go_."

"That's ridiculous, you-," he cut off when he spotted the mark of the Order on her wrist. "That's not Dumbledore's signature."

"No, it's the signature of-,"

"Sirius Black."

She looked at him in surprise. "How did you know?"

"We're tracking that entire family," he admitted. "So you are from the future."

"Yes, and I'd appreciate it if you kept quiet about it. I'm not exactly safest here. And since I'm sure you're still paranoid, Aberforth Dumbledore can tell you I'm a safe person."

"Not Albus."

Adelaide sucked in a slow breath, willing herself to be patient. It wasn't going well. "Albus Dumbledore has done great things. He is not, however, a good man."

"I can agree with that," Moody nodded, releasing her. "You sent the Patronus, then."

"I did. I know you in the future."

"Adelaide," Sarah called to her quietly. She glanced at Lily and nodded.

"If you'll excuse me, my friend needs me."

Xx

The rest of the summer was hard. Severus didn't return at all, and Lily was officially an orphan. Petunia was her guardian, though she was more than willing to let Lily stay with Sarah, Adelaide, and Leon in their new flat. Now that Lucas was gone, Sarah had moved them all to a flat in Diagon Alley while the house was rebuilt with a multitude of better wards surrounding it, many of them put up by Adelaide and Leon and many of them rather illegal.

The train ride to Hogwarts was spent alone on Adelaide's part. She had snuck out early to ward a compartment with a notice me not charm so that she could be alone, her preferred state since the battle at the Evans home.

As soon as they got to Hogwarts, she slipped away and hid in the Room of Requirement. Her absence was easily noticed by her friends, who grabbed Leon and pulled him to the Gryffindor table despite his quest to check on Severus and Regulus.

"What happened?" James hissed. "I don't see Addy or Lily. Where are they?"

"I'm not sure," Leon muttered, glancing across the large room to get a look at the Slytherin table. "A lot happened, we don't have time to talk about it now."

"Is everyone okay?" Sirius whispered with a frown. "Regulus told me there was an emergency with Adelaide before he had to leave for Voldypants."

Leon nearly choked on his pumpkin juice. "Merlin… like I said, a lot happened. Everyone is safe."

"Safe but not okay?"

"Sirius-,"

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts," Dumbledore greeted with a smile, cutting off their conversation. "Now that you've all been sorted, it's time that I say a few words."

Leon tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for the gibberish that the old man always rattled off. He was surprised, however, when it never came.

"Dark times are falling. There is a man out there who would limit who can learn and use magic. But always remember- Hogwarts is a safe place. If you are in need, Hogwarts will provide, if only you ask."

Students mumbled to each other while he took a pause for what Leon assumed was dramatic effect.

"Do not worry. You are safe here. Learn knowing no harm can befall you here, save for a Zonko's product or two. Now! Eat up. I've been assured there's a wonderful feast this year."

Students did as he said, though their spirits had been dampened ever so slightly. Throughout the feast, Leon ignored the Marauders' questions until they finally let it go.

An hour and a half later and Sirius, James, and Remus dragged Leon into a classroom near the Great Hall. He pushed them off of him and leaned against a desk, waving them on.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Quiet down. Sirius, Regulus hasn't said anything to you?"

"No," he shook his head. "Just that something was happening with Addy."

"Yeah, that was us," he waved him off. "We were trying to teach Lily to throw off the Imperius, and Adelaide knows how so I practiced on her first."

"Addy knows how to throw off the Imperius?" James gaped, wide eyed.

"We both do, and now so does Lily," he told them. "That's not important. What do you guys know?"

"Nothing," Sirius frowned at him. "Regulus didn't come home after running off to find Addy. When I asked about him, Walburga said he was staying with his Master."

"None of you have heard from Severus?"

"No."

"We're not sure why, but his father was a target. Just his father. He was killed, and the house burned down."

"Shit," James whispered.

"And about Lily-,"

"Leon!"

He turned to look at Regulus, a mixture of annoyance and relief coursing through him. Severus slipped in behind them as well, with Avery coming up the back and closing the door quietly.

"Good, you're all here."

"Where is she?" Regulus asked nervously. "Is she okay?"

"I don't _know_. She's been coming and going as she pleases… she's not doing well after the battle."

"_Battle_?" Sirius interrupted sharply. "What happened?"

"That was the other thing," Leon looked back at the Gryffindors. "There was an attack on Lily's parents. She sent a patronus and we went to help but we didn't get there in time. Adelaide fought… a lot. I think it really fucked with her, especially because Lily's parents… didn't make it."

"_Merlin_," James whispered. "Is she..?"

"Lily's coping," Leon told him. "Adelaide is not… she came home a few times with some injuries and refused to tell us where they came from."

"And where is she?" Regulus asked, his words slow and impatient. "The ring lit up but I was unable to check on her after the first time. She never answered my messages, either."

"We don't _know_," Leon bit out, annoyed. "She's here, I saw her hiding away on the train."

"I'm going to find her."

"Reg, no," Sirius said firmly, grabbing his brother's hand. "She'll be okay. We need to catch up."

"She's obviously not okay," he replied with a careful tone. "I'm going to find her."

Reluctantly, Sirius let go of his brother and the younger boy sped from the room, taking the stairs two at a time as he made his way to the seventh floor. As expected, there was a door. He slipped inside and took in the sight of the library in Grimmauld Place with a frozen image of Sirius standing near the couch, laughing. It wasn't a memory he'd seen, but it was obviously one she treasured.

She didn't look up as he made his way over, and he gently pulled the book from her lap, marking the page before he closed it. With that done, he looked down at her and took in the sight - one that made his stomach churn.

"I knew you were in danger, Little Lion, but I didn't know you were putting _yourself_ in danger."

She didn't bother to reply, instead looking him over silently. Content with his safety, she just rested her head on her hand and waited quietly.

"Leon said you disappeared after Lily's parents. You were fighting, weren't you?"

The only response he got was a shrug, much to his frustration.

"Adelaide, _talk_ to me. I've been terrified for your safety."

After taking in a slow, deep breath, she met his gaze. "I had to fight."

"Why? Because Lily's parents didn't make it?"

"Because I should have done better," she corrected stiffly. "I'm wasting myself sitting around waiting to go back to the future. I'm an excellent fighter. I took on five Death Eaters at once and walked away without a scratch."

"And this? What about these scratches?" He asked, waving at her bruises and the brace on her wrist.

"I feel fine."

"Adelaide, you can't do this! And you know why. You're not only putting yourself in danger but the future as well."

"I can handle it!"

"No you can't," he spat back, throwing his hands up. "You finished your fight. This one is ours."

"My fight isn't finished," she denied. "I'm here, and people are dying. I'm not going to sit on my arse while I could be protecting people."

"That's not your job!"

"Someone has to do it!"

Regulus took a deep breath and looked at her closely and the way she held herself tightly, as if ready for a fight or to defend herself. Slowly, he forced himself to relax and sat down next to her. "I need you to be safe, Little Lion."

She bit her lip, looking down at her hands. "There's so much I could've done and I didn't. I don't… I just don't want to make that mistake again."

"Who are you thinking about?"

She hesitated. "Ron."

He felt his heart plummet. Of course she was - her brother was working with the man that held her back from saving her best friend. "You know you couldn't have."

"I thought maybe… if I stopped him _here_-,"

"Addy," he said softly, taking her hand. "You can't."

"I just…" she shook her head, her curls dancing over her legs which were pulled to her chest. "I'm so sick of losing people."

"I know, love."

"I miss Harry," she admitted. "He was my rock for so many years… surviving without him is hard. Draco was right. I'm too fucking codependent."

Regulus moved closer and wrapped his arms around her. "You know what happens. You know who you'll lose. You're strong, and I know you can handle it."

She looked up at him, her hand cupping his cheek lightly. "What if I lose you?"

"Oh, never," he promised in a whisper. "You're stuck with me, Little Lion."

She leaned forward to press a kiss to the side of his mouth. Without moving, she breathed out, her chest tightening. "I love you."

A smile fell on his lips, and he pulled her closer. "I love you, too."

Xx

"Evans."

Lily glanced up from her parchment, her nerves rising. "Potter."

"I just…" he smiled nervously at her. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. About your parents, I mean. And that my parents and I want to help however we can. So just… let us know."

Shocked, she nodded slowly. "Thank you."

He nodded quietly and moved back out of the library, and she wondered after him. She'd dreaded seeing him purely because she'd expected another dramatic display of affection. She'd already planned how to hex him and had been avoiding him for the three weeks they'd already been back in school.

She relaxed somewhat, feeling much better about the James situation. For whatever reason, she felt he'd truly matured. And she did appreciate his offer. She knew Dorea was an endlessly kind woman, and someday she felt she might take them up on her offer. When or why, she didn't know, but she certainly felt like she'd be comfortable doing so.

Xx

Adelaide hugged Fabian tightly, grinning. "Professor Prewett. Why do all my friends become my teachers?"

"You were partial to Professor Deodel?" He laughed, pulling away to look at her as she laughed too. "I haven't seen you since beginning of August. Everything okay, Pip?"

"I'm fine," she replied slowly. "I went Death Eater hunting because I was angry, but I think I'm over that now. Maybe."

"Ah, so it was you that dropped them off at the Ministry," he chuckled. "We were wondering about that."

"It was just a stressful summer," she explained. "Things are getting bad. Too many memories."

"Was it like this in the future?" He questioned quietly. She'd not told them too much about the future aside from the basics of who she was, and she didn't blame him for his curiosity.

"Sort of. I was in school when the war began, in my sixth year. It came to a head when Dumbledore died and couldn't protect the school anymore. A Death Eater replaced him and my friend Harry and I went on the run with Sirius to finish a task for Dumbledore."

Fabian had tensed at the mention of the headmaster, and she was suddenly reminded of the conversation from the year before.

"Fab, why are you here?" She asked him quietly.

"To teach?" He smiled at her, somewhat nervously. He was about as good of a liar as Ron had been. Gathering herself, she spoke before her nerves could deter her.

"Dorea told you what happened. She told Dumbledore, too."

Fabian closed his eyes tight, deflating. "Gid and I care about you, Pip. I met with Dumbledore to demand he protect you - maybe even expel Dolohov. He just told me it had nothing to do with him because it didn't happen on school grounds and that you hadn't filed a report. Leaving you unprotected was… we couldn't do it."

"But I'm not that important," she told him, confused. "Why take a job you don't want just for me?"

"Ah, because you are that important. You're like family to us, Adelaide. I don't know… I suppose we collect strays."

The words struck her, and she was reminded of Molly Weasley and the way the woman had collected her and Harry, taken in two muggle raised children and given them love and support. The fact that her brothers did the same for her made her heart soar with happiness.

"I don't deserve you," she smiled, moving to hug him. "Don't you have other people to protect?"

"Believe it or not," he grinned, poking her side. "I do have a twin brother. He can do that while I take care of you. Well, me and your friends. They're pretty protective, too."

"Yeah… I have to agree with you on that," she sighed. "They want me to have you escort me back to my common room, can you believe that?"

He stared at her. "Well, I planned on it, actually."

"Oh my _god_."

Xx

Adelaide closed the bathroom door behind her, assured that everyone was asleep. It took her only a few minutes to change into her robes, and once she was done with that she twisted her foot and apparated directly out of the castle and into the Hog's Head.

In the back corner in a dark booth sat Moody, drinking a firewhisky from a surprisingly clean cup. She blinked at him as she sat and watched him set up wards around them before either said anything.

"I _know_ Aberforth didn't clean your cup."

Moody scoffed. "Don't drink here unless you bring your own damn cup."

"Smart idea."

"What did you find?"

She reached into her bag and found the broken wand sitting on top, handing it over. "This is from the man that's been following me. I managed to disarm him. Unfortunately, he knew wandless magic. I apparated away with the wand, but I fell and it broke."

"Good work," he nodded at her. "I'll take this to Ollivander."

"Try Gregorovitch if Ollivander doesn't know," she suggested. "If neither of them know, we'll have to start looking into private wandmakers."

"There's only a few of those," he reminded her roughly. "Wandmaking is a fickle practice."

"I know." Adelaide looked around, taking in a slow breath. "How worried should I be?"

"You were disguised," he told her. "But I think whoever it is knows who you are, since they've been at every raid you've been to."

"You don't just think they're tracking me somehow?"

"No. I scanned you for tracking spells. Alphard Black believes that any tracking spells placed on you would be destroyed before locking into your core."

"That makes sense," she agreed. "So someone I know?"

"Do you have any enemies?"

Adelaide stared at him blankly.

"Any that stand out," he clarified. "Any with a grudge against you? Any that have access to someone that might know where you were those days."

Her mind slipped back to her brother. He'd been the only one she'd told about what she was doing. She'd caught him at the end of a raid and warned him she might show up again. Which reminded her…

"_Fuck_."

"Who is it?"

"Severus."

"Your _brother_?"

"No," she shook her head, biting her lip anxiously. "He's partnered with… um, he's partnered with Dolohov."

"What's Dolohov got against you?"

She took in a deep breath. "I don't… it's not important, but he's a bit obsessed with me. I didn't think he'd do it because… well this person seems like an adult, but now that I think about it…"

"Anyone else?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "Yaxley, maybe. I'm really not sure. I fought a lot of people this summer."

"No point speculating," he said gruffly. "I'll get this to Ollivander tonight and let you know what I find."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow unless plans change."

"You're headed back to the castle?" He asked as he took down the wards and she stood. She shook her head at him.

"I've got a meeting with Abe and Alphard at the time room."

"Progress?"

"Not sure. I'll let you know tomorrow."

Xx

"That's an extremely foolish idea."

"No, it's not."

"Okay, tell us everything you know."

She sighed in frustration, looking between the two men. "Fabian and Gideon Prewett are cornered in their home by five Death Eaters on April 1st, 1976. They called for backup but by the time backup got there, blood was everywhere and both bodies were missing. They were declared dead that night."

"That's not proof enough. There's spells that can do that, Adelaide," Alphard told her tiredly.

"Regulus Black went into that cave in 1979 alone and never came back out. He was assumed dead and that's what Kreacher claimed."

"An elf can't lie to its owners!"

"But if Regulus was still alive, he'd still be his owner!" She shot back. "And if Regulus demanded Kreacher claim he was dead, then Kreacher would do it. That's supported by the fact that Sirius is Harry's godfather which means Kreacher should follow Harry's orders as well, and when Harry asked if Sirius was home, Kreacher lied and almost got Sirius killed.

"This is extremely far fetched," Aberforth pointed out. "And this solution we came up with is only a theory."

"But I think it'll work," she argued. "And if it doesn't, then no harm done."

"You can't save everyone," Alphard told her gently. "You came back here with the intention of not changing anything."

"I don't think I'm changing anything," she explained with an exhausted sigh. "I think this already happened."

"You said something about Avery, too?" Aberforth wondered.

"Yeah! I read about him but not much came up. He appeared in a few raids and was a known Death Eater, but he just… disappeared one day."

"And you think that's because he went to the future."

"Yes!"

"Adelaide, this is a reach," Alphard sighed. "We don't even know if this will work."

"Then let's try," she requested.

"This might be dangerous," Alphard told her. "We don't know. So be prepared to protect yourself."

"Got it."

He reached up and sliced off a small chunk of her hair with his wand, letting it fall straight into a bowl. She gasped at the sight of her cut hair turning into golden flecks of magic in the bowl.

"Oh my god," she breathed. "That's amazing."

"With your understanding of time travel, I do believe I can whip up a quick travel device," Alphard told her slowly. "It shouldn't take me too long. The only issue would be if these sands aren't developed enough, but I don't think that's the case. Just give me an hour or so."

Adelaide nodded and sat back, waiting nervously as he worked. Aberforth stayed as well and the pair spoke quietly about the summer. He gave her an update on how Sarah was doing, and she was worried to hear that the woman had already been attacked once since they got back to school.

"Try… _this_," Alphard muttered quietly, handing over a chain with a small, circular glass charm holding the sands from her hair inside of them.

"What do I do? There's no turner for this."

"You just need to tap it with your wand and think of when you need to go. Technically, this should go to the past and the future. Just remember… this is experimental. We haven't tried this yet. Be careful. Focus hard on when you want to be."

She frowned and nodded, raising her wand to tap the glass. She thought hard about two minutes from then.

She felt herself light up, a burning sensation rushing through her body as the magic grabbed at her and tore her out of that time. She saw her surroundings disappear completely and let out a scream as something inside her core was ripped away - a feeling she'd grown used to disappearing and only reappearing slightly when she was thrown to the floor once more.

She collapsed to the ground with a shout, feeling magic retreat back into her core. She was reminded of her original trip to the past with the pain she felt, except this time there was no glass in her chest and her core was used to the sands inside of her, so instead of being paralyzed, she was simply in a great deal of pain.

"Adelaide!"

She breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of Alphard's voice and forced herself to sit up, resting against a nearby table. "Alphard."

"Shit," he whispered, throwing himself to his knees in front of her. "Are you hurt?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I felt… something in my core disappeared, it _hurt_, and I'm in pain."

"Regulus," he reminded her gently. "You left time, you were torn away from his core. Your bond didn't break but it was stretched nearly to oblivion."

"How do- how do you know?"

He winced. "Because he told me as much."

She took a second to process his words. "Regulus… told you? Fuck, Alphard, how long have I been gone?"

"A month."

"_A month_?" She screamed, scrambling to her feet unsteadily. He grabbed her arm gently to support her as she wavered, nodding quietly.

"We thought something had gone horribly wrong," he explained, guiding her to a chair. "The only way we knew you were alive was because Regulus said your bond still existed but was stretched too far to tell anything."

"What… happened? I was focusing on _two minutes_ from then. It's been a month?"

"I think I understand what went wrong," he sighed. "I figured you probably went too far and I believe it's because the sands were too close in contact with your core. A few charms should fix it, but… that pain will probably come anytime you use it."

"Then fix it," she nodded firmly. "Now. This is important."

"Adelaide-,"

"Alphard, _please_."

"You should see Regulus first at least. He's incredibly worried."

She paused, suddenly feeling guilty. "Okay. I'll go find him. Tomorrow we try again."

"Leave it with me for the night. I'll do some research on the best spells."

She took the chain off and handed it over, muttering a quick goodbye before she apparated away and to Hogsmeade. Sneaking through the Shrieking Shack, she made it back to Hogwarts quickly and rushed to Slytherin to find _someone_.

Luckily for her, the room was nearly completely empty, save for Avery sitting by the fire with his homework. She breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Avery!"

He turned quickly, staring at her in shock. "Adelaide!"

"Shit, how bad is it?"

He stood and moved over to her to look her over closely while he replied. "It's not good. You can imagine how Regulus is without you in general, but with the way he said your bond felt… he said it was like a painful itch he was unable to scratch, just constantly. Everyone else has been coping, for the most part."

"Fuck," she breathed, rubbing her forehead. "Where is he?"

"Downstairs," Avery answered. "One of us stays up just in case."

"Can you-,"

"I'll grab him," he nodded. She smiled gratefully at him as he ran down the stairs.

She sat down on the couch, tapping her hand on her knee as she waited impatiently. Truthfully, her core still felt unsteady and _off_, something she imagined came from being away from Regulus for, apparently, a month.

"Adelaide."

She looked up at her boyfriend, sucking in a sharp breath. He looked frantic and disbelieving. "Reg, I'm so-,"

He pushed forward and pressed their lips together with a surprising gentleness. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, and she leaned into his embrace happily. The unsettled, painful feeling in her core slowly dissipated and she was left feeling content with her boyfriend.

A few minutes later, they were settled on the couch together, still as close as possible and unwilling to separate.

"Tell me," he requested softly. She hummed contentedly as he stroked her hair, twirling her curls around his fingers gently.

"We were just working on a problem," she explained gently. "Alphard has an idea about how to send me back eventually. I wanted to try it because… I want to give it to a few other people, too. To protect them. So he made it and I tried and… it was supposed to be two minutes, Reg. Just two minutes… I'm so sorry."

He cupped her face with his hands and pressed their foreheads together. "I was so worried about you, Addy."

"I had no idea this would happen," she promised him quietly. "I would never have gone without telling you."

"But it worked?"

"Aside from the month long trip… yeah, sort of. He thinks I was gone so long because it touched my core, so he's adding extra charms to prevent that. I'm going to try again tomorrow."

"_Tomorrow_? What if something goes wrong again?"

"It won't," she shook her head, leaning back to look in his eyes. "It shouldn't. He's adding the protective charms."

"Adelaide, you don't know it'll work. What if you go a month again?"

"Reg, I felt it, too. Not for as long as you, but I felt it. And I don't want to do that to you or I, but… I know what's happening the moment I left in the future. I don't know what'll happen after that, and it's a risk I can't take. What if some runaway Death Eaters attack the Burrow and it burned down so when I appear on the fourth floor, I fall to the ground?"

"I see your point," he admitted quietly. "I just don't want you to leave again."

"Let's spend the night in the Room."

He looked at her sharply. "What?"

"I want to sleep in your arms tonight," she clarified, offering him a soft smile. "Or we could stay up and talk. Whatever you want."

"That sounds nice," he agreed. She pecked his cheek and stood, holding her hand out for him. He grabbed it and followed her out the door, walking quietly beside her toward the seventh floor corridor. "You're really going again tomorrow."

"It might work," she reminded him. "But yes. I need to make sure it works before we use it."

"Who do you want to use it?"

She hummed. "Leon and I, of course. Aside from that, Avery and the Prewett twins."

"And me?"

"You'll be taking the draught of living death and staying in the Potter's basement."

He blinked at her. "I… What?"

"Well, I figured it out. The potion imitates death nearly completely, and if you order Kreacher to confirm your death, no one will question it. If you just take a trip to the future, your death date won't appear on the tapestry. As for their basement… Potter Manor is under a Death Fidelius. Even the day I left, Sirius hadn't gotten around to opening it up. So we'll just take Harry and prick his finger and retrieve you. You'll be safe."

"That… sounds like a good plan."

"I think so," she agreed with a smile. The pair entered the room, which was a giant bed instead of a floor with tables of snacks and books, and a fireplace nearby with a huge basket of pillows and blankets.

"This is…"

"A dream," she laughed. "I've always dreamed of a room like this. God bless Hogwarts… _Merlin _bless Hogwarts."

He led her to the basket and they both grabbed a large amount of pillows and blankets and spread them all out over a big area before lying down together, more comfortable than either of them had been in a long time.

"This bed is _amazing_," Regulus chuckled. "How did you think of it?"

She shrugged lightly, picking a pretzel out of the bowl nearby. "Summer before sixth year, I was given your room in Grimmauld Place."

He looked at her in shock. "You were?"

She nodded at him, appreciating the irony. "And I complained to Harry because your bed had been slept on for _years_ by Kreacher. He was so broken, and he missed his Master. I understood that, but your bed was awful. So Harry told Sirius and he had Andromeda order me the best bed she could find. It was extremely dramatic but I _loved_ the bed. Only thing that bothered me then was the green walls," she winked, poking his side.

"Maybe a Gryffindor shouldn't have been sleeping in my room," he laughed.

"Now that I'm a Slytherin, am I welcome?"

His eyes darkened slightly, and he pressed his lips to her shoulder lightly. "Always."

She felt a warmth pool in her stomach and breathed out slowly. "Oh."

He chuckled deep in his throat, looking down at her. "You're flustered."

"You're… not."

"Definitely not," he agreed, his tone soft but dark. "I think I like seeing you flustered. You're blushing," he told her, touching her cheek lightly with his thumb. She leaned into the touch, and he used it to gently move her head to the side and expose her neck. He moved slowly closer until his lips touched the soft skin. She let out a gasp and felt her neck tingle as he sucked on it lightly. The warm feeling in the pit of her stomach worsened and she squirmed a little, making him chuckle quietly.

"Fuck, Reg," she hissed, pressing a hand to his chest. "You're going to give me a hickey."

He laughed, winking. "That's the point, Little Lion."

She blinked. "I'm seeing your uncle tomorrow."

"I'm happy for you. Can I continue?"

"Um… sure?"

Her hesitation disappeared completely when his tongue flicked over the sensitive skin, and she let out a small moan, her fingers moving in to run through his thick hair, grabbing it tightly when he bit down hard, surprising her.

In retaliation, she was extremely verbal, letting out moans and soft squeals when something felt particularly good. Every once in awhile, she felt him shift too, and felt victory course through her. After nearly twenty minutes of this, he pulled back and licked her neck, grinning brightly when she winced very slightly from the pain of his tongue against the dark bruise on her neck.

She glanced up at the possessive smile on his lips and felt something inside her light up happily. She tugged him down to kiss his lips gently and looked in his eyes. "I'm yours."

Much to her surprise, he growled deep in his throat. "All mine."

"And you're mine," she whispered, her eyes shining up at him. He nodded at her, grabbing her hand and resting it above his heart.

"All yours."

Xx

"And you're sure you want to do this again?"

"Of course, I told you last night."

Alphard coughed awkwardly. "If your neck is telling me anything, it's that it wants to stay behind."

She blushed brightly, touching her fingers to her neck. She winced unexpectedly. "Shit, that _hurts_. No one told me hickeys hurt."

"They're bruises, Adelaide," the man rolled his eyes. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather stay and wait?"

"No," she nodded firmly. "I'm testing it today. Oh! I had a question. Is there any way to lock it to a specific place? I want to make sure everyone ends up somewhere safe."

Alphard hummed. "I might be able to add a simple portkey charm to it. I'll add that quickly. Where do you want to go?"

"Set it for Slytherin common room."

"And what if there's people in there?"

"Most students don't like being down there. There's too big of a divide in the House right now so most of us avoid it."

"That makes sense," Alphard nodded, casting the required charm on the small glass ball before handing it back to her. She slipped it onto her neck and took in a deep breath. "So now I suggest you cast _Portus_ on it and think of the time you want to be there. I actually believe the portus charm will help with this issue since your magic is being focused somewhere else and simply used as a way to activate the sands. There might be a bit of a way to block the sands from locking into your magic, and unfortunately I believe that'll come from practice. So we might have to do this a few more times before you get it down."

"That's fine," she sighed. "I'll aim for two minutes again. When I get there, I'll send you a patronus and wait there. Fabian can let you in."

"Sounds good."

"_Portus!"_

She felt the same horrible feeling of Regulus being ripped away from her - or her being ripped away from him. Her core burned as the sands grabbed onto it, though significantly less than the first time. She assumed that came from the portkey in the charm, and steadied herself as she landed in the dark common room she'd become so familiar with. Her hand fell on the couch next to her and she gripped it while she ensured she wasn't going to fall, and she breathed out with the pain of the bond being out of place. It wasn't quite as bad that time, but it still told her that it had likely been awhile. She raised her wand and cast her patronus for Alphard, setting the wand down on the table as she tucked the necklace under her shirt. She moved to sit down and felt a wand poke her back.

"_Imperio_!"

Her mind slipped away from her, and she turned around. The sudden urge to step forward and wrap her arms around the man in front of her overcame her.

_Why?_

She was distracted from that question by the sudden thought that she needed a kiss. She _needed_ to be kissed by him. She stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into the deep, sloppy kiss. His hand came to rest on her arse and she just smiled into the never ending kiss happily. He bit aggressively at her lip, and she just laughed quietly at the feeling and the sudden warm wetness of blood on her lip and chin.

His other hand grabbed her chest roughly, squeezing it so hard she gasped a little. He pushed her back until she stumbled over the arm of the couch and ended up lying down on her back. His wand tickled at her chest and she smiled vacantly when he pushed her shirt up, his fingers running over the scars on her stomach and coming to rest on her bra. He sat on top of her and continued to touch her, and she smiled still, not caring at all.

"_Stupefy_!" Alphard yelled.

Adelaide cried out as her mind was released from the horrible curse, and she shoved the boy off of her and onto the floor. She felt at her lip and pulled away when she touched the blood, her teeth clenching. She sat up quickly and held herself tightly together, glancing toward the door.

"I fucking _knew it_," Fabian yelled, rushing over. "Fuck! Adelaide, are you okay?"

"I'm-," she cut off, not bothering to lie. She shook her head at him, taking in a deep breath.

"Uncle Alphard? What's-," Regulus cut off sharply as he took in the situation. His eyes were still on the unmoving Dolohov as he stalked over and pointed his wand down at him. Suddenly Adelaide knew what Sirius had meant when he'd told her Regulus had gone darker than he'd ever seen, and she saw that murderous want in her boyfriend. To her horror, she had no wish to stop him.

Luckily, Alphard did. He plucked the wand out of Regulus's hand and pocketed it, pointing at Adelaide. "Focus on her."

"This is the third time!" Regulus snapped. "How many fucking times-,"

"No more," Fabian cut in. "I'll be bringing everyone to Dumbledore. He has to do something now."

"He won't," Adelaide muttered quietly. "He doesn't trust me, and he doesn't care to protect me."

"He _has_ to do something," Fabian denied. "You're his student and you were just sexually assaulted for the third time-,"

"Stop," she requested sharply. "Just leave it. Nothing will happen. Besides, he has to be free in the future to hold me back at the DOM."

"What happened at the DOM?" Fabian asked her with a deep frown.

"There was a fight and he held me back during it. He said nasty things and made me watch my best friend die," she told him tiredly, feeling an awful numbness fill her. "And then the night Dumbledore died, he cursed me. And then when we were caught by Snatchers, he choked me. The last time I saw him in the future was during the final battle. A lot of gruesome shit happened and he cursed me. I don't know what he was going to do but Sirius got there in time and saved me. So for him… this is definitely not the last time he's going to hurt me." She couldn't even look at Regulus, aware of the furious mix of emotions rushing through him. "Hell, they didn't even catch him in the final battle. He's out there somewhere."

"You're sure they didn't catch him after?" Alphard suggested. She let out a humorless laugh and shook her head.

"Kingsley promised to tell me if they found him. Everyone knows Dolohov is a… sore spot. They'd be shocked to know it got _so much worse_."

"Just tell us what happened," Fabian requested gently after taking a moment to calm himself.

"I sent the patronus to Alphard and I was going to sit down but he Imperiused me. He's a lot better than Draco and Crouch Junior and Umbridge-,"

"_Umbridge_?" Regulus asked, breaking his silence. "So she's used every fucking Unforgivable on you but one."

"Yep."

"He… imperiused you," Fabian repeated, taking in a slow, careful breath. "And?"

"He just made me kiss him and let him sort of… grope me, I guess. He knocked me onto the couch and that's how you found us."

"You're not hurt?" He questioned, determined to ensure she was okay, at least physically.

"He just bit my lip pretty hard," she told him, showing him the large spot of blood she'd wiped from her lip onto her sleeve. Regulus was tense next to her, and she still couldn't look at him, but he grabbed her face with a surprising gentleness and waved his wand over her lip carefully. A small, soothing jet of water spilled onto her lip, and then he carefully stitched it back together. She breathed out a sigh of relief when he was done, surprised to find she felt a little better.

"I'm still taking him to Dumbledore," Fabian told her stubbornly. "He cast an Unforgivable and that'll be traceable on his wand."

Her eyes lit up. "His wand."

"What about it?"

"You can check how many spells have been cast on it, right?" She questioned.

"Yeah, we can get a full history," Fabian agreed. "Why?"

"So you can see how many spells he's cast and therefore if he's had it for five years or just a few months."

"Yes?"

"Good, do it."

"_Why_?"

She debated silently if she should tell them but in the end, she decided she needed to know more than they needed to be kept out of things. "Over the summer, an informant told me about raids. I went to a lot of them and fought, and eventually we noticed that I was being followed. It was a man, but beyond that, we had no clue except that he was a Death Eater. I managed to disarm him before he fled the last time I saw him, and the wand is with- um, I gave it to someone to find out who it belonged to. But if Dolohov has a new wand-,"

"Then you think it was him following you," Alphard finished. "Smart. We can check it now."

Fabian plucked the dark wooden wand from the floor and cast the spell. A list was written in the air, and they watched for barely a minute as it finished.

"Okay, first of all, this is a nasty list," Fabian told them. "The majority of these are dark and illegal curses, not to mention all of the Unforgivables. He's used all three of them, shit. But also… you're right. This wand was bought four months ago, tops."

She rolled her head back, unsure if she should be relieved. "Okay. That's… good to know."

"I'm going to get him out of here," Fabian waved at the unconscious Dolohov lying on the floor. "You still have things to take care of?"

"I have to try this again to see if it works," she nodded, plucking the chain and glass ball from under her shirt. "You guys might disagree but I really think I can handle it. I'm pretty sure all I have to do is divert my magic to something else and put up wards around my body."

"Will that work?" Alphard wondered. "The wards might disrupt it."

"I think it will. I think it just needs another layer between it and my core," she explained. "It should work. I'm going to try it real quick."

"Addy-,"

"I'll be back in a few minutes, Reg," she promised.

"But can we talk about-,"

"Just a couple minutes… oh, wait, how long has it been?"

"Two weeks," Alphard sighed. "It is getting better. One or two more tries, I'd guess."

She smiled and picked up her wand, waving it around her silently as she raised her wards. "Since the portkey helps, I'll set it for… eh, the Shrieking Shack."

"This is a bad idea," Regulus grabbed her hand. "What if something goes wrong? You're experimenting, Addy. I don't like it."

"Someone has to do it, and since no one has a core like I do, it's me."

"Send a Patronus like last time," Alphard requested. "I can find my way to the Shrieking Shack myself."

"Sounds good," she smiled. After pecking Regulus's cheek, she tapped the glass and sent herself away in a brilliant bright light.

Xx

Fabian slammed his fist against the door again, his barely contained fury driving him. Three more times and the damned door finally opened, revealing a sleepy Dumbledore in pajamas. "This is _your fault_!" He screamed, pushing his way past the old man. Dolohov was levitating behind him, and he let the kid fall to the stone floor as he walked directly to Dumbledore's desk.

"Is everything alright, Mister Prewett? Is Mister Dolohov okay?"

Fabian's eyes widened significantly. "Is _Dolohov_ okay? How about is _Adelaide_ okay? He sexually assaulted her again! And this time, he used an Unforgivable to do it!"

"Now I'm sure it wasn't that bad-,"

"I actively saw him groping her," Fabian snarled. "He was sitting on her and groping her. Her lip was bleeding because he bit her so hard!"

"And you're sure they were not just having normal teenage fun?"

"Fucking Merlin! When will you admit that this boy has an unnatural obsession with her and that she's in extreme danger? I _told _you he raped her. He attacked her even before that, in the same common room that he Imperiused her into letting him do whatever the fuck he wanted! It's bloody lucky I got there in time, Headmaster, or this would be a bigger mess than it is - the sort of mess I _will _cause if you don't put up some sort of protection for her!"

"Now, now, Mister Prewett. There's no need for such nasty words. Do we know what she did the night of the Ball? And tonight? These things often get so twisted."

Fabian felt sick as he looked at the old man. "The night of the ball, she stood there. He found that a good enough excuse to take advantage of her. Tonight, she tried to sit down. He decided it was a good time to Imperius her into kissing him and letting him touch her. In the future, he will attack her countless times before she even knows why he's so obsessed with her. This boy is sick and his goal is to hurt her and you're blatantly ignoring that with as many ignorant denials as you can come up with. She's bonded with Regulus Black - she's a part of that House. Arcturus could smear your name for letting harm come to a daughter of his House."

Dumbledore stared him down. "I will move her to private rooms. They're usually reserved for Prefects, but…"

"The bare minimum. Of course."

"Is that all, Mister Prewett?"

"No. I'm taking Dolohov into the ministry. His wand was reviewed and there are countless Unforgivables on it."

"He is a student and you are _not_ an active Auror."

"Then it's a good thing I called my brother," Fabian snapped. "I'll see you at my quarterly review."

With that, Fabian levitated Dolohov out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

"_That _was an angry slam if I've ever heard one," Gideon chuckled. "What're you yelling at him for- oh."

He nodded at his brother as he moved the boy in front of him. "He Imperiused Adelaide tonight. He made her kiss him and touched her. Dumbledore is moving her into a private set of rooms."

"Nothing else?" Gideon's eyes widened. "Isn't there proof this time?"

"Alphard and I both witnessed him pawing at her and sitting on her legs. He tried to stop me from bringing him into the Ministry, too."

"That's why you called me," Gideon sighed. "What can you give me?"

"His wand records," Fabian scowled, waving his wand in the air to show him a copy of the wand report.

"Fuck, that's bad," Gideon whispered. "This kid is fifteen."

"Sixteen, but yes, it is bad. We can get him on _something_, can't we?"

"I'd be amazed if we couldn't."

Xx

Adelaide landed, to her horror, on a table. Her ankle let out a nasty pop as she crumpled onto the wood. She hissed in pain as she righted herself and slid off the table, attempting to put pressure on it. It didn't work well, and she groaned, gripping the table to hold herself up.

Glancing around, she noticed it was probably the middle of the night, a fact that calmed her considerably. She didn't want to run into anyone on her way through Hogsmeade.

Suddenly she stiffened, a familiar feeling overcoming her. As expected, she heard a low growl from the door, and she understood with a sick certainty that she'd arrived on just the wrong day.

Moony stalked forward, and the yellow eyes told her that her friend was, somehow, still there, though she knew he fought Moony for control if the way he twitched told her anything.

"It's me, it's Addy," she spoke calmly, holding her hand out in front of her. "I know I've been gone, I'm sorry. And I'm a little injured right now so I can't move much."

He took a slow step forward, his eyes on hers. She knew that if he moved anymore, she'd have to risk breaking the ankle and shifting. She didn't know how or why Remus was even a little bit aware, but she didn't trust it and she definitely did not feel safe.

"Please, if you're in control, Remus, I can't move. My ankle is sprained, maybe broken."

And then he stepped forward again. With her reflexes from the war reawoken over the summer, she dropped down, shifting into her fox form. Her ankle crunched horribly, and she whimpered in pain, falling now that she didn't have the table to support her.

Moony moved closer faster now, and she stared at him. He wouldn't hurt her, she knew that. She was pack. She was surprised, however, when he shoved her with his nose and picked her up by the scruff of her neck and ran out of the shack and toward the castle. She let out a squeal of surprise and worry, but she could do nothing but wait while he ran.

Finally they reached the castle grounds, and he wandered around a little until he found what he was looking for, and Adelaide understood what was happening.

Moony raced over to the big black dog and set her down at his feet, nudging her over. Padfoot looked between them and shook his head, likely remembering the way she'd bit him for picking her up the year before. Moony pushed her closer, and she nodded her head at him. He gave the equivalent of a dog shrugging and picked her up carefully. Moony nodded at the castle, and Padfoot ran off toward it, passing Prongs and Wormtail on the way.

Once they were inside and the doors had closed, he set her down and shifted quickly, kneeling down next to her. "You're hurt?"

She nodded at him and pawed toward her hurt ankle.

"Fuck, Addy, I don't know how to heal animals. Can you shift back?"

She sucked in a deep breath and, as she shifted, let it out. The pain rushed through her and she did her best not to make too much noise as her bones changed shape. Once she was done, she leaned against Sirius heavily, biting her lip hard.

"What happened?" He asked her gently as he stood, picking her up in his arms. She winced when he jostled her leg accidentally while he moved past the Great Hall and toward the infirmary.

"I keyed the portkey wrong and landed on a table," she told him. "It fucking hurt, Sirius. Don't try it."

"Is it broken?" He asked, glancing at the ankle in question.

"After shifting twice, I think so."

He looked at her seriously for a long moment. "Where have you been, Kitten? We've been so worried."

"Didn't Reg tell you..?"

"Reg can't tell us anything," he reminded her. "Everyone thinks we hate each other. We've been fake fighting for the sake of it. He gave me a black eye last week. But no one is telling us anything."

"What about Leon? No one pays attention to him, he could've told you."

"Leon left school to look for you the second day you were missing."

"Shit," she rubbed her forehead. "Alphard and I have been working on a time travel device to eventually take me to the future. It's… working, except it took me a month into the future instead of two minutes. Then two weeks, and now… I don't know."

"You… figured it out," he frowned, shifting her in his arms so he could open the door.

"Yeah, sort of. But things still have to be done. I'm not leaving until I have to."

"When is that?"

"The absolute latest?" She sighed. "Halloween, 1981."

"Why-,"

"I can't answer that."

"But what happens that specific day? Something bad, or-,"

"Mister Black!" Madame Pomfrey called. "You were supposed to be with Mister Lupin- oh. Miss Snape, you're hurt?"

"Broken ankle," Sirius called. "She's a clumsy little witch."

"Well, set her down," the woman waved at a bed nearby and ran to her store room for some potions as they settled in.

"How's Remus?" Adelaide asked nervously. "He seemed somewhat aware. He took me to you."

"Someone has been leaving Slughorn potions and signing it as you," Sirius frowned. "It's not your handwriting, Remus said, but he's been taking it."

"But if it's Wolfsbane, even a slight mistake can kill him!"

"He thinks it's a diluted version. Did you have any brewing before you left?"

"Oh… that's… _odd_. Probably Reg, then."

"Drink up, drink up," Madame Pomfrey instructed as she rushed over with a cup full of what Adelaide assumed was Skel-E-Gro. She downed it and decided that it _had _to be the awful potion. She was handed a pain potion and a numbing potions immediately afterwards, and she downed them gratefully. Pain in her hips from being grabbed earlier dulled somewhat, and she breathed out in relief.

"Dolohov was arrested."

She blinked at him, wondering if he had been using Legilimency. Shaking off the thought, she nodded slowly. "Odd."

"And then he was released and is back in school."

She stiffened. "He was?"

"Fabian is furious. He yelled at Dumbledore in the Great Hall when Dolohov walked in during dinner."

"Fabian needs to cool his temper," she muttered. It was no secret to anyone that they were friends and it was also no secret that Dolohov had it in for Adelaide. She just wished he hadn't made it worse by apparently screaming in front of the entire school.

"What _happened_, Addy?"

She threw her hands up. "He Imperiused me. Your uncle and Fabian caught him sitting on me and Fabian took him away. I left… pretty much right away. I can't handle that. I figured if the charm took me away for awhile, maybe Reg would forget, and-,"

"_Regulus_?" Sirius whistled, shaking his head. "There's no way in hell he'd forget that, Adelaide. He was there?"

"He heard Alphard and Fabian, saw me and Dolohov on the floor and put it together," she sighed dejectedly. "Why was he released?"

"I don't know. We should ask Fabian."

"_Expecto Patronum_!" She waved her wand in front of her, breathing with the happy memory of her sitting with Harry, Sirius, and Ginny, all of them making fun of Death Eaters. It had been a lighthearted moment in a dark time, something they all had needed.

"Whoa, what the fuck?"

She looked up and gasped, dropping her wand. The silver light disappeared, and she blinked. "What- what was that?"

"Do it again!"

She did as he asked and stared at the large animal standing in front of her. "What the fuck."

Sirius grinned brightly and let out a laugh. "When did it change?"

"Just now?" She shook her head. "It looks like…"

"Me!" Sirius giggled. "I'm your patronus!"

She rolled her head back, already sick of the jokes she expected. "To Fabian and Alphard: I'm back and in the infirmary with a broken ankle… ignore Sirius laughing, he's just an arsehole."

The silvery grim ran off and disappeared through the door and wall, separating into two in the middle of the room. She blinked at the spot her patronus used to be.

"Not that I don't _love _this, but why?"

She shook her head slowly. "I have a _theory_."

"Huh?"

"In the future… you're a very important part of my life. You're there for me when I need it. You held me when Ron died and took me to Grimmauld Place early. You taught me a lot of things and helped me get better at dueling, you taught me wandless magic and you always joked when you knew I needed to laugh. Aside from Harry… you were my best friend."

His joking grin turned into a soft smile, and she could see his older self in that same smile, the way he took care of her and loved her like his own.

"And here, you're…"

"I'm your brother," he finished for her. "So I'm your patronus, too?"

"You're my _rock_," she clarified. "In both of my lives. I suppose, if I live in a world, a time, that has you… I'm safe."

"Wow, that is…" he trailed off, grabbing her hand seriously. "I love you, Addy. I'm gonna take care of you."

"By picking me up and carrying me into the castle?" She teased, laughing when he threw his hands up in defense.

"You told me to!"

"I was a fox, I couldn't _tell you_ anything," she reminded him.

"Adelaide!"

Her head shot up to see a very tired looking Fabian rush into the infirmary. "Fab, you're here."

He sat down on the other side of the bed. "How's your ankle? Your lip?"

"Your _lip_?" Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Does this have anything to do with your _massive _hickey that I'm definitely gonna tease you about later?"

"_No," _she hissed. "Dolohov bit my lip really hard and it bled."

"Fuck."

"Adelaide," Fabian frowned deeply. "Gideon arrested him. Did the scan on his wand. Technically he did get the evidence but… someone found out I did an illegal search of his wand. His parents said they wouldn't press charges as long as he was let go, and…"

"So now all of that evidence is useless," she sighed. "It's fine. Like I said, department of mysteries, Dumbledore, and the final battle. Oh, and that time he choked me in the woods."

"He choked you in the woods?" Sirius asked sharply.

"Yeah, I never thought I'd be grateful for Greyback, but in that moment I could've kissed him."

"Ew, Addy."

She rolled her eyes. "My point is, I encounter him way too much in the future to expect him to be arrested."

"He came back to school today but he wasn't seen aside from walking in and out of breakfast."

"It doesn't matter," she waved it off. "I think I've got one more try. I can feel it, it's close. My issue is my core. I have to manipulate it to keep magic away from the charm, and that's why it's been so hard."

"You almost have it?" Fabian blinked.

"Yeah, once more, I think. How long has it been?"

"Four days."

She nodded firmly. "I'm going to try now."

"Adelaide!"

"Where will you go?" Fabian wondered with a frown.

"Hog's Head," she decided, charming it again. "Be right back."

"Addy, no-,"

She tapped her wand to the charm and cast the spell. She felt her core tighten inside of her and this time, the pain was significantly lessened. It was over much quicker, and soon she found herself in the Hog's Head, standing in front of Aberforth.

"Merlin's sake!" He yelled. "Again?"

She let out a laugh. "Sorry, Abe. I'm just testing it. Is it…" she glanced out a window, her golden eyes lighting up. "It's still nighttime! I think I did it."

"You're limping," he pointed out, nodding at the chair nearby. "What happened this time?"

"Broke my ankle," she shrugged, pulling her wand again to send a Patronus to Fabian and Alphard both. With that done, she turned to Aberforth again and sat. "I fell on a table. Bad planning."

"Alphard said you were still testing the specialized time turner."

"Yeah. It's hard for me because my core is made of the same things as the time turner, but I'm almost certain it won't affect anyone else the same way."

"And you're going to test that theory?"

"...oh."

"You have to. What if it _does _have negative side effects for normal people?" He reasoned.

With a sigh, she nodded. "You're right. I just don't know _who_."

"I can do it," he told her with a long suffering sigh. "Got nothing better to do."

She handed over the chain easily. He was a capable wizard and she trusted his judgement. "You just point your wand at it and think of the time you want to be. Try two minutes from now."

He pulled it over his neck and did exactly as she said with little fuss. She was mesmerized watching him disappear, and she wondered if she looked the same way when she travelled.

"Adelaide!" Fabian called excitedly. "You did it!"

"I did?" She exclaimed happily, watching Fabian and Alphard enter the dark pub. "That's wonderful!"

"I'd like to do some layering on the charm," Alphard told her. "Just to ensure those spells don't slip."

"I gave it to Aberforth," she told them. "I told him what was happening and he wanted to help, so- oh!"

A bright golden flash erupted in the room, dropping Aberforth in the same exact spot he'd been in before. "Merlin, that's odd."

"It worked!" She grinned. "It works."

"Yeah… feel like a haircut?" Alphard raised an eyebrow. "We have a few more of these to do."

Xx

Adelaide rushed up the steps, her now shorter hair pulled back behind her ears as she approached the library. It had taken them all night to cut her hair and make each charm, because they found that cutting a large amount of it and trying to make them all at once only let the sands decay, which was why her hair fell to the middle of her back and not past her hips where they had expected, as her hair had been pretty long before.

She breathed out happily at the sight of Regulus sitting with Severus and Avery in a secluded corner and made her way over.

"Addy," Severus whispered. Regulus's head shot up and the couple locked eyes.

"You cut your hair," Avery said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, we had a few charms to make and there was some trial and error."

"Are you done?" Regulus asked her softly, looking her over. "You're limping."

"I'm done," she confirmed. "We got it to work. And I'm limping because I'm a right idiot. I fell and sprained my ankle, and then I broke it by shifting twice."

"_Why _would you shift twice?"

"...because I fell into the Shrieking Shack and Moony was going to attack me?"

She watched the three boys take a collective deep breath and had a hard time not laughing at the near comical sight.

"And everything else?" He asked gently. "Your lip?"

She glanced away from his deep worry and at their books. "I feel fine."

"You're not disappearing again."

She looked at Regulus and smiled softly. It was more of a demand than a request or even a question, but she didn't mind. "I'm staying right here unless I have to go."

"I have a question," Avery tilted his head at her curiously. "Now that you have it, when are you leaving?"

Adelaide hummed in response. "The latest I can stay is Halloween 1981. And I said it to Sirius, but I _can't _tell you why. I expect I'll be gone before then, though, considering… a few things."

Regulus frowned. She'd told him everything, and she was fairly certain he understood - if she'd been there for the Fidelius change, she would likely have been the choice instead of Peter.

"Oh!" She dug in her bag, sitting down next to her boyfriend. After a full minute of digging and knocking some neatly stacked books over, she found what she was looking for and pulled it out, handing it over to Avery. "For when it's too dangerous. July 31st, 1998."

"Can we…" Regulus trailed off.

"Yeah," she smiled softly at him, standing again. "We'll be in the Room if you guys need us."

"Should we knock first?" Avery joked.

Severus threw a piece of parchment at his head with a disgusted scowl. "That's my _sister_."

Xx

"I'm just saying, you know what they've done!" Lily argued hotly, her hands flying animatedly as she spoke. "Why the hell would you stay around them?"

"It's not that simple," Severus told her again. "I know you don't understand-,"

"I understand perfectly fine," she denied, her eyes wide with anger. "You're throwing yourself straight into all of this because Adelaide told you what happens. Can't you be your own person?"

"I am being my own person!" He yelled back at her, furious that she brought up Addy. "I'm being the person that does the hard thing _because it has to be done_! You have it easy, there's nothing special that you have to do to uphold the fucking future!"

"Okay, maybe I don't, but I still know that you being cruel and attacking people with your new friends is not the right thing! You're all twisted, Sev, and I hate it."

"You still don't get it," he shook his head at her. "I can't be nice! I have to be cruel, I have to attack people and call them names. I've only been told so much but even I know that if I want to get where she says I am in the future, I _have _to do this."

"I don't want to be around you when you are," she spat, picking up her bag from the bench. "Talk to me when you feel like being a nice, normal person."

He didn't bother replying, and she walked away with her fists clenched angrily. He hit his head against the tree behind him, exhausted. There was a genuine worry that she'd blame Adelaide for the way he was acting, but he couldn't do anything about that. Lily when she was angry was a force to be reckoned with, and he'd already been torn down enough for one day.

"Pouting over your mudblood?"

Severus's chest tightened, and he shot up, storming over to Dolohov and punching his nose with such a strength that the boy fell to the ground. Taking advantage of the moment, he pulled out his wand and began hexing the boy with everything he could think of, including some rather nasty dark curses he'd learned from Regulus over the summer. His blind rage was stopped short as someone ripped his wand from his hand and pushed him back until he hit the tree nearby.

"Snape! Get yourself together!"

He snarled at Alecto and ripped himself away, stalking back over to Dolohov, who was being held up by Amycus now. He got right in his face and glared darkly. "_Stop touching Adelaide._ I will kill you if you ever come near her again."

"Ah, she's so fun," Dolohov laughed. "Did she tell you she kissed me the other week?"

Severus pulled his arm back and punched him again, shaking off Alecto when she tried to grab him again. "I will kill you, Dolohov. Stay away from my sister."

"We'll see."

Xx

"Dorea, I can't- I really can't accept this," Adelaide gasped, staring down at the outfit laid out in front of her.

"Oh yes, you can," Dorea grinned, patting the bed for her to sit down. Once they were facing each other, Dorea grabbed one of her hands. "You know your boys are bad at keeping their cute little mouths shut."

"I do," she nodded slowly, suddenly worried.

"James told me some stories about a friend of yours. Harry?"

"Ah."

Dorea waved at the boxes next to the dress, and she picked one up hesitantly. "He told me that Harry is, or will be, my grandson. He told me that two years ago, you faced your boggart, and-,"

"And he saw Harry."

"Dead."

She shook her head quickly. "No, he wasn't- well, he was. Actually, at that point, I'm not sure? He never really told me _when_ he woke up."

"What happened?"

Adelaide considered whether or not it was safe to tell her, but she trusted Dorea, and she knew the woman would likely take it well. "Voldemort has these… things that make it so he can't die. He had a lot of these, and there was an accident, and Harry sort of… became one. And we had to get rid of it, but it was the final battle of the war and we didn't have time to figure out another way, so he gave himself over to Voldemort, and he was killed. He came back, though, and we won."

"Why did Voldemort want to kill him specifically?" Dorea wondered, tilting her head. Adelaide opened the first box and gasped loudly.

"Merlin, this is- this is too much!"

"You hush," Dorea said sternly. "Let's keep talking."

"Um- well, so, there was this… incident," she winced, hating the way she described James and Lily's death. "And Harry sort of killed Voldemort. In truth, it wasn't him. He was a baby. The protections placed around him killed Voldemort, and possibly also some magic from his mother. But there was a prophecy that Harry would be Voldemort's match… actually, it was either Harry or our friend Neville, but Voldemort focused on Harry, so it became Harry."

"And this man obsessed over him this much?"

Adelaide nodded sadly. "He didn't get much of a childhood. Our friend Ron's family welcomed him and I did my best to make sure he knew he was loved, but he was attacked almost every year at school, and we didn't even take our seventh year because we had to go on the run."

"And James dies when he's a baby."

"Dorea-,"

"No, it's alright. Everyone lives their lives and everything happens for a reason. I believe that by the time my son passes, he will have lived the life he's meant to live and I am content with that, just as I am content with my impending death."

"Oh, I don't… um…"

"Open the other one," the woman instructed, pointing at the other box.

Adelaide picked it up quietly, setting the red and green bracelet down on the bed. Opening the box, she gasped at the sight of two similar rings. One was slimmer, gold with rubies set inside of it, and the other was larger, reminiscent of Draco's heir ring. She looked up, confused.

"There is a House ring for you, and the heir ring for Harry. The years you spent with him, loving him and being a friend, you built a familial bond. I can feel it and so can Charlus. James did as well, and that's why I know so much of all of this. He wanted to tell you, but I asked him to let me, because I have some advice for you."

"Advice?"

"I would advise you to stay out of the fight," Dorea nodded at her. "You may think that your death would be inconsequential, but it wouldn't be. If you are to save the people you want to save, you have to be there in the future as well. I know you're suffering, but you have to live for everyone you love."

"I want to live," Adelaide said defensively. "I just know that I can save people, so it feels ridiculous to not help them."

"Other people can do it for you," the kind woman told her softly. "Think of Harry. You think he doesn't need you?"

Adelaide thought back to her best friend and sighed, defeated. "Harry's head would fall off if I weren't around."

"And so would James'," Dorea winked. "Your Potter boys need you. Even Charlus is partial to your company."

"I'm concerned," Adelaide told her slowly. "I had planned to go back to the future around Halloween 1981, but I think I need to leave sooner. I wanted to be there until I absolutely couldn't be, but…"

"When are you thinking of leaving?"

"Sometime in 1979 or 1980. I'm not sure when, but something is going to happen in 1979 that I have to be there for. After that, everything else is… somewhat unnecessary and just dangerous."

"So, do that thing and then leave," Dorea suggested. "And for the next four years?"

"Just… survive, I suppose."

"Well, we will do whatever we can to help," the woman promised, patting her knee. "For now, you should get dressed. The ball begins in an hour."

"Oh, I'm not- I really wasn't planning on going. This dress is beautiful, but I just… don't think I'm up for it."

"I know you were badly hurt last year," Dorea sighed, looking upset. "As your hosts, we failed to protect you. And you're family. That boy and his family were not invited this year, and they never will be again, damn the social expectations."

"Avery isn't a bad person," Adelaide promised.

"That poor boy? Of course he isn't. He was handed over to that family because they're the closest living relatives. Cousins four times removed or something of the sort. He's been given a bad life. He was invited. I also invited him and the rest of your friends to stay, as usual. Unfortunately, Sirius and Regulus were unable to accept, though they will be at the ball tonight. I suggest you take advantage of this time."

"Thanks, Dorea," Adelaide smiled softly.

"Get dressed," Dorea instructed, standing. "I'll be back in a half hour to help with your makeup."

Xx

"I don't think this is necessary," Adelaide muttered, dropping her wand into her new thigh holster and covering it with her floor length white dress. "He wasn't even invited."

"A lot of other Death Eaters were," Gideon told her, shoving some hair behind her ears and spelling it there. "After last year, Dorea and Charlus refuse to let anyone possibly be in danger in their home again. There's guards around the entire house, and they've got security roaming the party itself."

"A lot of Aurors would be Death Eaters by now," she worried.

"Which is why they hired their own security," Gideon soothed. "It'll be alright, Pip."

"Does Moody come to this?" Adelaide wondered, clasping the bracelet Dorea had given her around her wrist. The family ring had been put on right away, and she planned on not taking it off. "I need to talk to him."

"He doesn't usually, but I believe Dorea asked him to come as a personal favor. His paranoia comes in handy sometimes."

"Gid," Fabian poked his head in the room. "They need us- oh. Adelaide, you look beautiful."

She smiled at her friends. "You should go. I'll see you guys for the fireworks."

"It's a date," Gideon winked, pecking her cheek. Fabian did the same before following his brother from the room, leaving her alone to finish getting ready.

Xx

"Adelaide!"

She turned away from Marlene and smiled at Alphard. "You don't usually come to this, do you?"

"Not typically, but it seems that the entire guest list has been updated. Less Death Eaters, more friends and security."

"Yeah, Gideon was telling me about that."

"How're you doing? No side effects, right?"

"Nothing that I've noticed," she confirmed. "I think Abe is doing fine, too. Do you have all of them?"

"I asked the pushy elf to drop the package in your room," Alphard nodded, chuckling. "She had taken my jacket off before I had a chance to step all the way in the house."

"Yeah, Miffy is a little frightening, but she's just… excited."

"Psychotic," James muttered, nudging her to move over and make room for him. "She pulled at my hair for an entire hour! Do I even have hair left?"

"Believe it or not, you do," Alphard chuckled. "I'd better go socialize or Walburga will think I'm making a notorious plan to destroy her."

"Only in my pretend world," Adelaide hummed. "Her and her portrait can go to hell with Dumbledore."

"I saw he was here," James nodded while Alphard sucked in a breath and, reluctantly, pulled away to talk to Lady Longbottom. "You gonna hex him?"

The thought brought a smile to her lips. "I'd love to. I probably could, too…"

"Wait, Addy, no," he grabbed her arm. "I was joking."

She let out a dramatic sigh. "Unfortunately, I can't. Maybe sometime before I leave…"

James shook his head at her, wrapping his arm around her and facing the crowd to watch them with her. "What exactly did he do that's so bad? I mean… except refusing to help you. What did he do in the future?"

She considered the question. "I can't tell you all of it, but I can say that he wronged Harry badly. Besides that, he gave Harry an enormous task that should not have been given to a group of two sixteen year old's and Sirius. He just… absolutely did not mind sending us head first into the war with only a very spotty education."

"He'd died by the time the war started, though, right?"

"Well, yes, technically. But he knew things, and he had time to plan. He used that time to concoct an idiotic plan that involved Harry _dying_ and not being completely certain he'd come back. He also refused to help Sirius when he desperately needed it, and… it's just so much, James. He spoke in riddles, he saw everyone as pawns in his elaborate chess game, and he's so untrusting that people have died for his secrecy."

"Merlin," James breathed angrily. "He's the reason you fought in a war?"

She tilted her head. "A large deal of it, yes. I'd have been targeted anyways, but… yes, he's the reason I was in so much danger, and the reason I went on the run and- yeah. Since the war ended, I've thought of a million ways he could've done things differently that would've protected Harry and I both. It's infuriating. It's why I didn't want him to know anything - I don't trust him not to try and use my information for his own purposes."

"If he'd done something different…. Would you have the," he paused, waving vaguely at her covered arm. She looked down at it.

"I don't think so. He had a lot of power in his positions and I'm almost certain that he could've seized Bellatrix's vaults under suspicion of treason and found the item we needed. He could've just given Harry the sword instead of putting it in his will, which meant Bellatrix wouldn't have…" she breathed out and looked back at her friend. "It's exhausting to contemplate."

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked hesitantly.

"I don't know if I can answer, but… sure."

He touched her back and guided her quietly to a more secluded corner of the room. "I'm not in Harry's life."

"James-,"

"No, just tell me. Is he… well, is he okay growing up? Is he… when you left, is he happy?"

"It was… rough for him. I can't- this is really hard. A lot of this is directly because of your future, but… when I left, he was surrounded by family and friends and people that love him more than anything. He was with his girlfriend, I think. So yes, he's happy."

"You said something about Halloween in-,"

"James, you know I can't answer that."

"I haven't even had the kid yet and I'm terrified," her friend sighed. She nodded.

"He has a habit of worrying everyone in his life."

"When did you meet him?" he smiled, pointedly trying to shift the subject a little.

"On the train before first year, actually. I was looking for my friend's toad and saw Ron trying to do magic on his rat. It failed miserably, so I showed him by fixing Harry's glasses. He thought I was stuck up after that. Harry was my first friend, and my first friend that understood the muggle world. He was always good to talk to. He wasn't too good at telling Ron to go to hell when he was being an arsehole, but I know he meant well."

"Ron was trying to do magic on a live animal before he even got to school?" James laughed, throwing his head back. "No wonder it didn't work. What was he trying to do?"

"Turn the rat yellow," she rolled her eyes at the memory. "His twin older brothers gave him the fake spell. They're... A lot like Fabian and Gideon."

"Is that why you're so close to them?"

She shrugged. "Partly."

James let out a sigh. "I have to…"

"Go do gross pureblood things," she joked, smiling at him. "Go, talk to people. I'm gonna get some air."

"Where?" he asked her, unwilling to let her go somewhere alone without anyone knowing where she was.

"I'm probably going to head back to my room and switch my shoes," she told him, pointing at her heels. "They're nice for about five minutes."

"They look painful," he agreed. He kissed her cheek and walked off quietly while she went in the other direction. Sneaking out of the ball was harder than expected, being stopped by multiple different people on the way. Finally, she slipped out of the door and took the stairs two at a time, her heels in her hands. Once she got to her room, she tossed them on the floor and flopped onto the bed tiredly.

Her conversation with James had been hard, and her mind was stuck on the why of it all. He wanted to know why his son had been miserable, why he'd grown up without his father, or without his parents at all. And she _wanted_ to tell him. She wanted to tell him to move far away before having his son and to trust Remus and that Peter was scum. But she couldn't, and it killed her.

"You look awful," Sirius said. She sat up quickly, gasping. Sirius laughed at her, moving to sit on the bed with her. "I followed you."

She smacked his chest lightly. "You scared me! What are you doing?"

"I'm worried," he told her slowly. "Are you okay? Being back here?"

"I'm fine," she told him quietly, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I'm just tired of knowing things."

"I can Obliviate you," he joked, resting his head on top of hers. "Might be a bit sketchy though."

"I love you, Sirius," she smiled softly.

"Love you too, Kitten," he promised. "Is that a Potter bracelet? And… ring?"

"Dorea gave them to me earlier," she nodded. "She said that because of how close I am to Harry and James both, I've formed a strong familial bond."

"That makes sense," Sirius agreed.

"_Avada_-,"

Adelaide reacted immediately and shoved Sirius hard off the bed, throwing herself to her knees as well. Her wand came out, and she pointed it at the familiar voice. "_Bombarda Maxima_!"

Walburga slammed into the wall, and the wall itself crumbled a bit under the spell. The woman raised her wand again, and this time she cast non verbally. Adelaide knew what it was when she felt a familiar spell slice into her thigh, just barely grazing her from bad aim. She did her best not to focus on the rapidly increasing pain and instead pointed her wand back at the woman after putting up a shield.

"_Sagitta dirigentes_!" She screamed. Three arrows shot from her wand, two of them landing in her left arm and one in her right thigh. "_Expelliarmus_!"

With the woman finally disarmed, she stood and brushed herself off, stalking over. "You tried to kill me!"

"You're defiling my House!" Walburga shot back nastily. "Better dead than anywhere near my House."

Adelaide saw Fabian and Gideon running down the hall with Charlus and focused in on Walburga, kneeling down to look at her. "If you ever try to touch me again, or Sirius for that matter, I will blow your ugly head off of your ugly body."

"Adelaide!" Fabian called, taking in the scene. "What the hell happened?"

"My mother just tried to kill her!" Sirius growled, pulling himself to his feet as the shock wore off. "She tried to Avada her!"

"And I blew her into the wall and shot her," Adelaide commented, standing up again and brushing off her dress. "I'd say we're even."

"Boys, would you mind escorting Walburga from the House?" Charlus requested. "She's no longer welcome."

"Addy?" Gideon gasped, staring at her bleeding leg. "What did she do?"

"Ah," she hissed, pressing on it. "Fuck, I know this. I don't- I don't know who healed me, who knows, Remus was- there, he- shit."

"Fab, get her out of here," Gideon told his brother, waving at Adelaide leaning against Sirius to stay upright. "She needs to get to St. Mungo's."

"But it's… s' new," she muttered as Fabian picked her up in his arms, her mind fogging quickly as the curse took over. "Dolohov…"

"What about him?" Sirius asked her futilely as she slowly drifted to unconsciousness.

"Fabian, if you could take her to St. Mungo's, I'll go find Sarah."

"Yeah," he nodded, rushing from the room with her limp in his arms. Charlus hummed, looking at Sirius with a frown.

"Go find your friends, son. See if any of them know what she was talking about, okay? Make sure they don't panic. She'll be okay."

"Sure, dad," he muttered, running out and skipping down the stairs. Entering the ballroom again, he spotted Leon and Regulus standing at a table with Dumbledore of all people. Gritting his teeth, he made his way over. If anyone would know, it'd be one of them.

"Sirius," Regulus stiffened. "Is that blood?"

He glanced down at his robes and winced. "Yeah, um… can I talk to you two for a moment?"

"Is everything alright, my boy?" Dumbledore asked him with a frown.

"Fine," he rolled his eyes, grabbing Leon and Regulus by their sleeves and pulling them aside. Avery quietly made his way over upon seeing them, and he lowered his voice. "My fucking crazy ass mother just tried to kill Adelaide."

"_What_?" Regulus sucked in a breath, looking down at his hand. "Fuck, I left the ring at home. I took it off when I was getting ready. Fuck! Is she okay?"

"We're not sure," he admitted, looking at Leon. "Walburga hit her with some curse. She seemed to recognize it? She said Dolohov's name before she passed out."

Leon rubbed his temples. "Dolohov creates - or created - this curse. It's pretty bad, it was widely spread amongst the Death Eaters by the time I joined. Did it hit her or graze her?"

"I don't know? Her thigh was bleeding pretty bad and she passed out after the Prewetts and Dad got there but she was alive when Fabian took her to St. Mungo's."

"I'd guess it just grazed her then. _Again_."

"Is this the curse he sent at her that Remus saved her from?" Regulus frowned at him. "Wasn't she unconscious for like… weeks?"

"Yes, and that was after being worked on by a nurse that had seen it before and knew how to help," Leon told him sharply. "This is bad. That curse is meant to kill with as much pain and as quickly as possible. She was lucky Remus managed to save her the first time. How does your mother even know the curse? Malum Stercore shouldn't be known by now."

"What did you say?" Avery straightened, his eyes narrowed on Leon.

"Malum Stercore? It's the curse Dolohov taught us. The one he used on her."

"I can help her," Avery told them firmly. "My father made that curse. I don't understand how he got ahold of it. He must have found our libraries at some point."

"We should go," Leon told them. "You said she was going to St. Mungo's?"

"Fabian took her," Sirius nodded, looking nervously at his brother. "We can't all go at once."

"We'll go ahead," Regulus told him. "Go tell Father what's happened and what we're doing."

"He's going to be furious," Sirius muttered, rushing off.

Xx

"Get out of the way," Regulus growled at a nurse as she tried to reach Adelaide's side. Before the woman could argue, Avery shoved past her and pulled the blanket off of her legs, wincing at the sight of the worsening injury. There was a cut from where the spell originally hit her, and then a magical shimmering slowly spreading outward as it infected her blood and reached for her core, or in this case, leeched off of her core as it encompassed her entire body.

"_Tantum adepto melior, melius stercore, sentio melior_," Avery chanted lowly. He ignored his wand in favor of pressing his fingers lightly to the injury itself, her thigh pulsating and sticky with blood. The old magic he used pressed their cores closely together to get rid of the dark infection, his own healthy core a balm against her sick one.

"You can't do that!" The nurse yelled, trying to push her way past Regulus.

"Ma'am," Leon interrupted. "I am not threatening you but I assure you that if you continue, he will hex you."

"What is he doing?" She asked, backing off a little.

"Healing her," Regulus snapped. "Stay out of his way."

"But we don't know what hit her," the nurse argued. "It's physical and magical, we don't know how to-,"

"But I do," Avery muttered, not looking up from what he was doing. "I need to concentrate."

"If you could leave and tell her mother she'll be okay, we'd appreciate that," Leon told the woman, trying to get her out of the room.

"I shouldn't even let you touch her," the nurse denied hesitantly.

"Does it seem like he's hurting her?" Leon reasoned impatiently.

"No…" she sighed. "Alright, but I'll be back in a few minutes."

Once the woman had left, Avery glanced at Regulus. "I need your help with this."

"What can I do?"

"The best way to heal this is to touch our cores together, but-,"

"With our bond, you can't get close enough," Regulus nodded. "How do I help?"

"I just need you to interact with her core so that it's focused on you and not repelling me," he grit out, his magic fighting the dark magic. "Maybe hurry."

Without missing a beat, Regulus stepped forward and pressed his hands to her temples, slipping into her mind and touching her core. He wasn't surprised to see her mind so active, the memories rushing through her mind at incomprehensible speeds.

"That's it," Avery whispered. Regulus could feel his core interacting with Adelaide's, chasing magic down and plucking it out. The spell he'd cast seemed to just allow him access to the magic without it hurting him or latching onto his core, and Regulus was shocked by the speed with which he was healing her now that her core wasn't fighting him any longer. "You said she was hit with this once before?"

"Dolohov," Regulus said stiffly. "In the future. Remus shoved her out of the way, but it still got her pretty bad, apparently."

"She was in the infirmary for a few weeks," Leon added. "I didn't get much information about it because I was supposed to hate her, but it took her awhile to heal."

Avery didn't respond, quietly working for another few minutes. He came across an odd mark on her core that, when he touched it, threw Regulus out of her mind and core and to the ground.

"Woah," Leon moved over to give Regulus a hand. "What the hell was that?"

"I don't- I've never seen that before, it forced me out," he muttered with a furrowed brow. "What was that?"

"In a minute," Avery replied. They could see him slowly removing the glittering magic from beneath her skin. When that was done, he pulled away from her and, instead of answering any questions, began healing the physical injury, slowly and carefully stitching it up.

"Avery, what was that?" Regulus asked his friend anxiously. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure right now is the time-,"

"The hell it isn't," Regulus snapped. "Tell me."

"Regulus-,"

"Avery, _tell me_," he growled, stepping closer. "Whatever that was, it wasn't supposed to fucking be there."

Hesitantly, Avery nodded slowly. "You understand how only soulmates can make permanent soul and core bonds?"

"Yes, of course."

"There's this… old spell," Avery shook his head. "It's sometimes wrapped up with another spell, one that- that's used for truly disgusting things, and it can permanently connect cores together. Not like a soul bond, but more like… a leech."

"What are you saying?"

"That night in third year… Dolohov used that spell and…" he winced. "It must've been wrapped in that one. He's connected to her core."

Regulus waited a beat for him to say it was some sort of sick joke, and when his friend just stared at him, he spun around, threading his fingers through his hair angrily. His friends said nothing as he paced back and forth for a minute, fighting against his fury. "_How_\- I don't… what does this mean?"

"I honestly don't know," Avery admitted sadly. "I have some guesses, but-,"

"What does that mean for her and I?" Regulus asked in a whisper. "What does…"

"I can tell you what I can guess, but nothing is certain," the boy shook his head tiredly. "You won't like any of it."

"I already don't like this! Tell me!"

"Well… it obviously isn't a full soul bond, but when souls connect like that in a permanent manner, they're connected until death…. Meaning there is a chance that, as you will not die until she dies, so will he."

"You mean… we'll never get rid of him."

"You don't know that," Leon cut in. "When we get back to the future, I'll be speaking to every solicitor I can find, and I'm sure Sirius will be more than pleased to send him to Azkaban, and Sirius has the bloody Minister in his pocket."

"But he'll still be alive."

No one commented on that. They all understood that the boy would rather kill Dolohov himself than let him live, even in Azkaban.

"Beyond that," Avery spoke up. "He'll probably have a much easier time getting past her shields. Getting into or controlling her mind would be easier. That's probably why he could Imperius her when she knows how to throw it off. It might even be how he knew where to find her during those raids. He'd have a much easier time using tracking spells when she isn't under warding."

Regulus turned on his heel and rushed out of the room, his wand slipping into his hand. Avery exchanged glances with Leon and raced after him, leaving Leon to look over Adelaide. She'd begun shifting quietly, and Leon pursed his lips.

"How much of that did you hear?"

"All of it," she muttered, opening her eyes tiredly. "I woke up when Reg was thrown out of my head."

"I assumed as much."

"He's going to try and kill him," she told him with a resigned sigh.

"Avery will stop him," Leon reminded her. "It'll be okay."

She snorted, pulling herself to sit up with a wince. "Did you hear the same conversation I heard? I'm connected to Dolohov, Draco. We can't get rid of that."

"You're right," he agreed, leaning against the wall. "And there's something else Avery didn't consider."

"What?"

"When you travelled through time, it hurt Regulus very clearly. I left the castle to look for you but I saw it. At the time, I thought he just had a headache or something, but…"

Understanding filled her, and she felt sick. "It pulled on Dolohov, too?"

"Yes. But it's more than that, Granger. It means that he'll feel you return to the future as well. There's a very real threat that he'll come looking for you. In the future, over the years, did he ever have the chance to enter your mind?"

"He's a skilled Legilimens," she muttered, paling. "It could've been the DOM, the night Dumbledore died, in the forest, the final battle…"

"He's always known. He must've been checking to see if you'd already come back, looking to connect with your mind again," Leon explained. "But he couldn't find that… bond."

"What are we going to do?" she asked, taking in a sharp, unsteady breath. "How are- fuck, Draco, what are we going to do?"

He looked at the tears building in her eyes uncomfortably and sat down next to her. "Like I said. Sirius will help us put him in Azkaban. He won't touch you again."

"You don't know that."

"Adelaide!" James gasped, rushing into the room with Sirius and Remus on his heels. "Oh, Merlin…"

"I'm okay," she promised with a forced smile.

"Mum wanted to send Walburga to Azkaban," Sirius told her, taking a seat on her other side and grabbing her hand. "Bloody Arcturus stepped in and promised to have better control over her."

"What's wrong?" Remus interrupted, looking between Addy and Leon. "What happened?"

"Walburga just tried to kill me?"

"You do look a little pale," James agreed.

"I almost died," she told him again, irritated. "Of course I'm pale."

"They're ending the ball early," Remus cut in. "Dorea said she'd be over once everyone is out."

"They don't have to-,"

"Addy," James interrupted gently. "You're family." He tapped her ring before intertwining their fingers. "Dad's coming, too."

She mustered up a soft, genuine smile. "Have I ever told you that I love you?"

"A few times," he winked, patting her hand. "Where's Regulus?"

"Ah," Leon cleared his throat. "He and Avery had something to take care of. They left after healing her."

Sirius scoffed. "Something more important than Addy?"

"Yes."

"Is something going on? Did something happen?"

"No, not really," Adelaide shook her head.

"Well, where is he?" Sirius pushed.

"Running an errand for me," she lied easily, getting annoyed. "It's fine."

"I don't believe you."

"Well, that's not really my problem," she snapped. "I'm tired, Sirius. Just drop it."

"Where's Sarah?" James asked, changing the subject. "I thought she'd be here."

Adelaide looked at him, frowning. "She isn't here?"

"She was," Leon blinked. "The nurse went out to talk to her while Avery healed you, I figured they'd be back by now…"

"Can you go look for her?" she requested nervously.

"I'll go," Leon nodded, slipping out of the room quietly.

"Your dress is ruined," James sighed, smoothing out the fabric and draping a blanket over her legs.

"At least I shot the cunt," Adelaide muttered bitterly. "That was fun."

"Yeah, what spell was that?" Sirius asked curiously. "That was cool."

"Sagitta dirigentes?" She tilted her head. "You taught me that during the war."

"And apparently, he learned it from you," Remus pointed out. "What exactly does it do?"

"It shoots three arrows at the target," she explained. "It was honestly the only curse I could think of that wouldn't kill her at the moment."

"Should've just killed her," Sirius snarked.

"Unfortunately, I happen to know she doesn't die for a few more years," Adelaide told him with true regret. After hearing the woman call her horrible names for years, she wanted nothing more than to see her dead and gone forever.

"That day can't come soon enough."

"Have you ever considered matricide?" James joked.

"I have, quite often," Sirius rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately, Arcturus would probably be a bit upset."

"Granger," Leon gasped, rushing into the room.

"What?" She moved forward, pushing the blanket off of her legs. "Shit. Did he kill him?"

"_What_?" James stood, his eyes wide.

"No," Leon shook his head quickly. "It's Sarah. We need to get Severus."

Xx

The next week was a whirlwind of moving into Potter Manor, giving statements to Aurors, being fussed over by just about everyone, and a funeral that Severus was unable to go to. Adelaide was exhausted by the time she got back to her room two days before returning to Hogwarts, and she truthfully just wanted to sleep.

Fabian had stopped by every day since the ball, and Gideon had joined them when he had a day off. They'd holed up in a sitting room to talk, and she'd confided in them about what Dolohov had done in her third year, something that made both of them absolutely furious.

She hadn't seen Regulus since the ball, or heard from him, and so she was unable to tell him that the way he'd been shoved out of her mind left a painful hole in her shields that she wasn't able to touch to heal on her own, which left her begging Fabian for help. His hesitance was obvious, but the hole was painful and eventually he agreed.

"There's a good chance he slammed through some memories to get out," he explained to her nervously. "I don't know what they'll be, but I'll have to sort of stitch the shields back together until he can help you fix them permanently. I don't know what I'll see, Pip. Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"It hurts, Fab," she told him tiredly, leaning back against the arm of the couch. "Please."

"Okay," he nodded, moving closer. "You have to be open to me or it might hurt."

"I am," she blinked in confusion. "I'm asking you to help me."

"I know, Addy, but your mind might not agree. Just take a deep breath, make eye contact and think about how much you want my help. Okay?"

She nodded and met his eyes, sucking in a long, deep breath to calm herself. As she let it out, she felt him slip carefully into her mind and was relieved when there was no pain. His presence was shockingly different to that of her boyfriend's, and it grated slightly against her mind, something that was only slightly noticeable, enough that she could ignore it for the most part.

"I see it," he muttered, moving toward a cluster of messy memories. "Are you ready?"

"Sure?"

He plunged forward without further warning, and she sucked in a breath at the sudden memory she was thrown into. It was one of her favorites from the summer after sixth year, and she smiled as she watched it play out.

"_Put that down," Bill instructed, waving his wand at her to lift the box from her arms. "Didn't mum say you need to rest?"_

"_Yes, and in the same breath she told me to get my chores done," Hermione laughed, waving at the box. "Give it back." _

"_Nope," he ruffled her hair as he walked past her, setting the box down on a bench and waving his wand to unpack the dishes onto the tables. "Your hip still hurt?" _

"_No," she lied, looking away. He snorted, gently grabbing her arm. _

"_Really, Hermione. I get it. Tell me." _

_She looked over his grisly scars and nodded, catching his eye. "It hurts. It feels like there's someone in there, slowly tearing me apart. Madame Pomfrey said she's seen it before but she doesn't know the counter curse, so she had to use muggle science and magic to heal me. She still says it'll take a few more weeks." _

_He gave her a sympathetic smile. "Mum gives me looks. Pity, and a lot of sadness." _

"_But Fleur doesn't," she reminded him. "She doesn't even see them, does she?" _

_His eyes travelled to the window, where Fleur stood patiently with Molly, looking over the folded napkins she'd finally finished for the party. "No. You don't, either. How come?" _

_She let out a laugh and wrapped her arm around his, walking with him toward the garden. "Being friends with Harry is a dangerous job. I've gained a good amount of scars, and I'm sure that won't end anytime soon." _

"_You two need to be careful," he warned her seriously. "Things are getting bad." _

"_I know, but we'll handle it. We have to." _

"_No chance you'll tell me what you two are planning with Sirius?" _

"_Maybe. Not now."_

_He sighed, pulling her into a hug. "Take care of yourself, Hermione. I've only got two sisters, and if I lose you, I'm stuck with Ginny forever." _

_She chuckled. "Don't forget about Gabrielle." _

"_Ah, how could I? She has such a large crush on you, after all." _

_Rolling her eyes, she pushed herself away from the tree. "I've told you, it's not a crush. She just respects my intellect." _

"_Whatever you wanna call it…" _

Adelaide fell dizzily from the memory and her mind with a smile on her lips, memories of Ginny's birthday dancing around her mind. "That was a good day."

"That was the only hole," Fabian told her with his own distant smile. "You were close with Bill?"

She gave a sigh. "I was, since the day I met him in my third year. He popped by for Christmas and pulled me aside to tell me that my friends thought I was working too hard. Then he told me how _he _worked hard without killing himself."

"What were you _doing_ in your third year?"

"Ah," she blushed, looking away, embarrassed. "McGonagall gave me a time turner so I could take all the classes I wanted to. I apparently did not use it how she intended. I didn't sleep much and I was totally overloaded with work."

"I'd imagine you would be," Fabian chuckled. "Bill helped you?"

"He tried to. I wasn't very open to listening. But then we started exchanging letters, and we grew close. And then I met Charlie in my fourth year, and _apparently _Bill asked him to look out for me while he was at Hogwarts, and I became friends with him… I was close with all but one of your nephews, actually."

"Oh?"

"Percy. He was wholly uninterested in anything but the Ministry. Bit of a prat, really. The war changed him, though. He's a lot better now, but Harry and I… he sided with the Ministry for a long time and it's hard for us to forget."

"Did… who fought?" He asked with a wince. She gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Almost everyone. Let's see, who's alive right now? Bill, Charlie, and Percy, right?"

"Yep."

"Okay. Well, next year, you'll get two twin nephews. I miss them a lot, and you and Gid really help with that. You're so like Fred and George, it's incredible. After them is… Ron. And then Ginny."

"A _girl_?"

"A girl. So, Ginny was at school fighting however she could there. Molly and Arthur were hiding from Death Eaters in their home, I believe, with the twins. Bill lived with his wife, they actually took care of me, us, after- um, did I tell you? About… this?" She asked, waving at her scarred arm. After telling so many people, she was losing track of what everyone knew.

"You didn't tell me anything, really," he frowned. "What is it?"

She sighed. "Around easter, the three of us - me, Harry, and Sirius - were captured and taken to Malfoy Manor where I was tortured with the Cruciatus for hours."

"Merlin," Fabian gasped, looking her over as if it had just happened. "Are you…?"

"I'm fine," she nodded. "It's been years by now, and Leon heals me when he can. There have been a few…. _accidents_, but I'm almost back to normal. My point was, after that, we went to Shell Cottage where Bill lived with his wife. He healed me when Sirius would let him near, and we formed a sort of bond, like a sibling bond, I think. Healing, but closer because of our friendship."

Fabian nodded slowly. "That can happen. Bonds can twist and change depending on the relationship there. _Technically _there are only a set few types of bonds but they can be merged and changed. I imagine you're right, and you've got a mixture of the two."

Adelaide smiled at the thought. "Bill and Charlie have both always been like older brothers. I like the thought of being family."

Fabian's smile softened. "Ah, Pip, you already are."

She wasn't sure what to say, so she just leaned over and hugged him from the side.

"But wait, you told me about Percy and Bill and the twins and Ginny, what about Charlie and Ron?"

She winced. "Well, Charlie stayed in Romania for the war. He was at Bill's wedding, but from there, he went back to Romania. Bill said as much when we showed up after Malfoy Manor. He did come to the Final Battle, though. Molly was _pissed_."

"Romania?"

She nodded. "Yeah, he worked there with dragons. Bill is a curse breaker, a freelancer. Got fired after we broke into Gringott's, but they hired him again after the war with a little bribery from Sirius in the form of returning old, goblin made heirlooms."

"_What_? You _broke into Gringott's_?"

"Story for another time," she laughed.

He nodded, looking down at her. "Ron?"

Her face fell. "Ron was in my year. I hated him at first. He made fun of me when I tried to help him and was rude to me until Halloween. That's when he and Harry saved me from a Mountain Troll. After that, the three of us were best friends."

"So where was he? With you?"

"Um… no. In my fifth year, there was a fight at the DOM."

"You said Dolohov held you back there," he mentioned. "You haven't told me anything else about it."

"Well, we went because Voldemort put an image in Harry's head of Sirius being tortured, so Harry demanded we go help him. Of course, Sirius wasn't there. A fight broke out. It was the three of us, Ginny, our friend Neville, and our friend Luna. We made it into the Veil Room when all the prophecies came crashing down. Some of us wandered into different rooms and got hurt, but we all eventually landed in the Veil room. Death Eaters came in and demanded a prophecy from Harry. There was a fight. Dolohov grabbed me. I couldn't do anything. The Order got there, and Andromeda's daughter got most of my friends to safety. Sirius and Harry were standing up by the Veil, fighting Bellatrix and Lucius. It… it all happened so fast, Fab. Sirius almost _died_. I could practically imagine him drifting into the Veil. But then it was Ron, running up to help them and being tossed in. He floated away… he died."

Fabian was silent, watching her face as he processed. After a few minutes, he sighed. "How did Molly handle it?"

"As well as a grieving mother could," Adelaide frowned. "She kept herself focused on the rest of us, and I think bickering with Sirius was a good distraction for her, so he picked a few fights. She mainly focused on the war effort and took care of us kids. Every time I got hurt at school, you know, she kept my parents as informed as she could. Didn't always work because Ron didn't want to tell her we'd gotten into trouble, but it was nice to have her there."

"So you've always been family," he gave her a soft smile.

"I'd like to think so."

"Well!" He tapped his legs as he stood up. "Your mind should be fine, just do your meditation until you see Regulus, alright?"

"I'll do my best," she rolled her eyes as she followed him to the door. "Meditation isn't my strong suit."

"Ah, you'll figure it out, Pip. Practice!"

"I will, Fab. Give Gideon a hug for me, okay? I won't see him again before school."

"Tell him you hate him and I'm your favorite twin? Got it."

Adelaide rolled her eyes as she shut the door after him, breathing out slowly as she walked up the steps to find James. To her immense surprise, she found him sitting in his bedroom with Lily, playing chess and laughing. Smiling softly to herself at the sight, she closed the door quietly, leaving them alone.

Xx

Adelaide, for the sake of not having to choose between her friends, sat at Ravenclaw table with Pandora. The girl had sent her a letter after Sarah's death with her apologies and requesting they talk. She'd promised to meet with her after the feast, but the feeling of being ripped in two directions drove her to run away from the Gryffindor and Slytherin table both and sit with the kind, if not odd, girl instead.

"Oh, Hermione, did you feel like treacle tart? It is wonderful today."

Adelaide choked on her pumpkin juice, her eyes widening to stare at the blonde. "_Excuse me_?"

"Hermione, that is your name, isn't it?"

She was reminded of Pandora's daughter and the patience she'd grown for her and sucked in a breath. "It is, but I can't use it. Call me Adelaide, please."

"Oh, but Hermione is so beautiful, just like the flower," Pandora hummed with a distant smile. Adelaide looked at the people around her with a wince and stood, gently pulling the Ravenclaw up with her. "Where are we going? Somewhere warm, I hope. It's freezing in here."

"Yes, it's warm," she muttered, tugging her out of the room. Luckily for her, only the welcoming feast was required attendance, so they were perfectly allowed to leave whenever they wanted. She brought Pandora up to the Room of Requirement, the only safe place that she truly trusted. Turning the Room into Gryffindor's common room as she usually did, she rushed inside and sucked in a deep breath at the comforting sight.

"Oh, this is nice. What are we doing here?"

"Pandora, you don't understand-,"

"What the hell, Addy?"

She rubbed her temples, turning to look at her boyfriend as he shut the door behind him. "Regulus-,"

"Is this your boyfriend, Hermione? Yes… oh, he has to be. How nice."

"My eye twitched," she muttered. "Did you see that? It actually twitched."

Regulus whipped his wand out, pointing it steadily at Pandora, who absolutely did not care or possibly notice. "What did you do? Did you force her to tell you?"

"Regulus, stop it!" Adelaide snapped, shoving her way in front of the unconcerned girl. "Put your wand down right now!"

"Adelaide, tell me what happened," he growled, staring past her. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," she denied sharply, offended. "Her daughter was a Seer, Reg, so I'd assume she is, too!"

He hesitated, his silver eyes shifting back to her golden ones. "What are you doing up here?"

"She kept saying my name so I brought her here to figure out what she knows and ask her not to say anything," Adelaide glared. "I'm not stupid, Regulus. I was handling it."

"What I know?" Pandora spoke up softly. "I don't know what I know. It comes to me along the way. Like when Sarah died, I wasn't sad because I knew she wasn't your real guardian. You have many, but you never truly bonded with her. Your real guardian is in the future or even Dorea Potter."

"That's why you requested to talk?"

"I was concerned for you," Pandora nodded. "You seemed… scared."

Regulus frowned at Adelaide. "Scared?"

"I'm fine," she promised, waving off the concern. "Now put your wand down, Regulus."

Pandora tapper her shoulder. "I really was looking forward to that treacle tart."

"Go ahead," she nodded, watching gratefully as the girl made her way from the room. Once she was gone, Adelaide turned back to Regulus, her brow furrowed. "You can't just point your wand at people!"

"If I think you're in danger I can damn well do what I need," he replied hotly.

"No, you cannot," she stared at him in wonder. "What has gotten into you? I know perfectly well how to defend myself, Regulus."

"Except for when you don't," he glared. "And now you're mad at me for being cautious?"

"I'm not mad, I'm _upset_. Because you know me better than that. And you have your ring, for god's sake! You should've known I was fine."

"You could get hurt," he argued, quieter this time.

"You can't come running every time I'm out of your sight," she reminded him. "I'm okay, and you'll feel it if I'm not."

"I hate this," he muttered, rubbing his hand over his face in defeat. "How long before you go back?"

She shook her head, looking at him softly. "Not for another… three years? It'll be okay."

"I'm scared for you, Addy," he told her, raising a hand to hold her cheek lightly. She leaned into the soft touch, closing her eyes. He stroked her cheek with his thumb, and she let out a soft sigh.

"I'll be okay," she promised quietly. "And so will you. We'll make it through this, love."

"What if we don't? What if we don't make it to the future?" Regulus frowned down at her. "You've worked so hard to help me, Addy. What if it doesn't matter? What if it doesn't matter that you came back at all?"

"It _does_," Adelaide stared at him. "It matters because I came here, and I met you and I was able to fall in love. I met James, and got a brother. Sirius and Remus, now I've seen them without all of the burdens they've always had. Severus, I know him as a different person. I love him. I got to meet Lily, truly know Harry's mother and befriend her myself… I've found so much love here, so much family, Reg. I would never regret coming back here, even if I were to die here."

Regulus leaned his head against hers, closing his eyes. "I just want to be done with this war, with Voldemort. I want to live my life with you, safely and without worrying for you."

"And we will," she promised. "Just hold on for a few more years."

"Hold onto you," he agreed, kissing her nose as he backed up. "Always."

Xx

"What have you been up to?" Adelaide asked curiously, plopping down next to Leon in the common room. "You're always coming and going."

"I have a project," he told her, looking over her leg again, as he'd done every time he saw her since Walburga had cursed her. She'd been annoyed at first, but as soon as he told her Avery was worried about having potentially missed some of the magic in the chaos, she gave in. "That is none of your business, so further questions are pointless."

She rolled her eyes. "You just hate being at Hogwarts," she accused lightly. He looked up at her and scoffed.

"I have always hated being at Hogwarts, Granger. I wouldn't have even gone here if Snape hadn't been teaching here. Mother and Father agreed it was the safest place for me, living with my godfather instead of strangers and an angry Death Eater."

"You mean Karkaroff?"

"Yep," he muttered, poking her leg with his wand. She scrunched up her nose and dropped it to the ground again, letting him move over to begin his usual healing of her body. Only her arms, hands, and legs still shook badly, which meant it took significantly less time to heal her. "He and my father never got along. Mother said it was because Karkaroff was all set to be Voldemort's right hand man, but when he brought his wife on an important raid, she was killed by the Muggles, and he went crazy. He killed them when he was supposed to take them in for information. So, my father became his right hand man instead, and Karkaroff has been bitter ever since."

"God," she shook her head in surprise. "I never knew. I mean, I met him a few times in my fourth year because I was friends with Krum, you know, and he never liked me. Almost cursed me once, on accident, but Krum stopped him. I just thought he was an angry Death Eater."

"I think he hates muggleborns only because his wife was killed by muggles," Leon theorized.

"I don't understand, how did muggles kill his wife? I thought muggles couldn't really fight wizards."

"I'm not sure," he admitted, lowering his wand and looking back at her. "I never really cared enough to ask. Father just used it as a way to tell me that muggles were evil."

She sighed, the typical frustration crossing her face. "I have a few choice words for your Father."

"Go visit him and tell him," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I'm sure that'll be fun."

"Your father is detestable."

"Agreed."

Adelaide sighed, crossing her arms loosely over her chest. "So, are you gonna tell me what you're still doing out of the castle?"

"I don't like it here," he defended. "And I've got things to do."

"Believe it or not, I don't really like it here, either," she admitted. "What's going on?"

He shrugged, dropping his wand on the table next to them. He was obviously uncomfortable, so she stayed quiet while he struggled with his words. "I don't like being here, seeing people that I fought with before they're even Death Eaters. It's worse to see them _become_ Death Eaters. I just need a break."

Adelaide hesitated. "If it's- if it's really that bad, maybe you should go back ahead of time."

Leon scoffed at her. "You need all the help you can get to stay alive here, Granger."

"No, but I've got people for that," she assured him. "And I've planned for everything else. Look, it's up to you, but if you really want to go, you can go. Don't stay here on my account."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Are we done? I'd like to get to dinner."

She made a face at him. "Fine, but remember what I said."

"Okay."

Xx


	7. Chapter 6

**August 30th, 1976**

**Diagon Alley**

The rest of the year was stress filled and slow, but otherwise uneventful. Much to Adelaide's disappointment, Severus was called to stay at Malfoy Manor instead of Potter Manor, an offer that he literally could not refuse.

With Lily's parents dead and Petunia already married, she also went to stay at Potter Manor and spent most of her time stuck to Adelaide, Leon, and James. The summer was quiet and tense, and it took everyone in the house, including Miffy, to convince Adelaide she shouldn't go searching for raids in her worry.

They waited as long as possible to go shopping for concern about attacks on Diagon Alley, but eventually, they were forced to go. Most of their things could be bought and delivered over owl post, but things like new robes and other personalized shopping had to be done in person. Their lists were much shorter than other years, but they still spent a few hours there.

James went last to get his new robes simply for the fact that he'd grown more than anyone else, reaching 6'2" at the end of the summer while Adelaide and Lily were the same height at 5'4". While the boy got his measurements taken, Adelaide grabbed Lily's hand and went to take care of the thing she'd been putting off since Christmas - Sarah's vaults.

They'd been locked immediately upon her death, and it required a family member to unlock them. She wouldn't have bothered except it left the Potters to pay for her school things and while they insisted she was family and it was no bother, she felt bad.

Gringott's was mostly empty that day, like most of Diagon Alley, and she sucked in a deep breath before letting the elf in front of her - Bangdold - know what she needed. She and Lily followed him down to the vaults where she was passed the new key and left alone.

She stared at the heirlooms and money scattered around and bit her lip. "This should be Severus."

"I know," Lily whispered. She and Severus still hadn't made up yet, and they were both miserable for it.

"I didn't realize there would be heirlooms," Adelaide admitted, glancing around at the large room in surprise. It reminded her of Harry's trust vault that she'd seen after the war when looking for the books Sirius had claimed would be in there. "How old is the Snape family?"

"It's actually the Prince family, but they're pretty old," Lily shrugged. "There were a lot of them but Sarah said her brothers and their kids were murdered in the war against Grindlewald."

"I didn't realize she was that old," she commented, getting to work putting money into her beaded bag. She knew that trips to Diagon Alley would be more dangerous and so she wanted to get as much as possible while she could.

"She isn't," Lily agreed. "She told us that her parents wanted to try again to ensure there was an heir, but they died before they could have anyone aside from her."

Adelaide let out a soft sigh and picked up a ring with an 'S' on it surrounded by a snake and green and black. It was rather masculine and she dropped it into her bag as well before turning. "Okay. I think I'm done here."

"You're not taking anything else?"

She shrugged as she led Lily out and closed the large door behind them, locking it up with her key. "It doesn't feel like it's mine to take."

"What are you going to do with the key?" Lily asked as they made their way through the bank and outside where they found it raining.

"I'm going to give it to Severus," Adelaide frowned at her friend. "I can't very well keep it. What's he supposed to do when I leave?"

"Get a job like a normal person?"

Adelaide rolled her eyes and made her way down the steps toward Flourish and Blott's. Lily followed her, but when she put her hand on the door handle, an explosion sounded behind them and she jumped back, a shield already up in front of her and Lily as she looked around to find Death Eaters landing in. "Fuck," she cursed, grabbing her wand with her other hand. "_Expecto Patronum_. Dumbledore, Moody, Fabian, Gideon. Attack on Diagon Alley. By my count, there are nearly twenty here. Hurry."

The Grim sped off and she looked to Lily, who had paled. "Lils, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just- yeah."

"I need to go," she told her friend, whose eyes widened. "I know, I know, Lils, but I'm here. Come on, go find James and Dorea, okay? Let them know backup is on its way. I'll be okay."

"Addy-,"

"I'll be okay," she insisted. "I fought an entire war and lived. Just go, okay?"

Lily nodded uncertainly and sped off toward Madam Malkin's where they could only hope James still was. With her friend gone, Adelaide advanced forward carefully, immediately getting into a duel with one of the Masked terrorists.

Backup came in form of the twins, Moody, Aberforth, and a few from the Order that she didn't pay attention to. They fought together and the battle lasted for nearly three hours. It was toward the end when Adelaide was grabbed, mid-duel, and thrown back into an alley. She had her wand out and was in the middle of trying to hex the Death Eater standing with her when he pulled off his mask and she breathed out in relief.

"Fuck, Reg," she gasped, staring at his worried face. "Be careful!"

"You gotta get out of here," he hissed, touching the bare skin on her arm, an action that visibly calmed him.

"Reg, I've been here for hours," she told him, annoyed. "I'm fine."

"_They're looking for you_," he told her, glancing to the side where the battle raged on without them. "We just got the message. Please, Addy. Leave."

"I have to find James and Lily and-,"

"They're not here," he assured her quickly. "I've been here for a while, keeping an eye on you. Dorea apparated them out at the beginning."

"Okay, I- okay," she nodded quickly. "Why, though? What do they want?"

"Please," he frowned, looking at her. "Hogwarts. I have to go."

"Okay," she bit her lip before leaning forward and kissing him. "I love you."

"I love you."

Before she apparated away, she met his brilliant, worried eyes. "Be safe, Reg."

When she was gone, he shook his head. "I don't know if I can be."

Xx

Heeding Regulus's warning, Adelaide skipped the train ride and rather apparated to school. While she was unsure of _why_ Voldemort wanted her, she didn't want to risk being around any Death Eaters she didn't trust. She got to school after the welcome feast and found her way to the Room of Requirement, where she found her friends and her boyfriend already waiting for her. No one seemed panicked, and she felt a distinct rush of relief that James had actually managed to tell them that her late arrival had been planned.

She took her seat in Regulus's lap with the excuse that the seats were all full, despite Sirius sitting on the floor, and looked at everyone. "Okay, so? What's going on?"

"We should've seen it coming," Severus said, gaining her attention. She raised an eyebrow and he continued slowly. "It's well known that you're Regulus's girlfriend and my sister, as well as Avery's friend, and Voldemort has become interested in you."

"The issue," Regulus frowned, wrapping an arm around her. "Is that you're also close with Sirius and James and them, so he wants to _acquire_ you to see where your loyalties lie, and by extension, ours."

"Fuck," she whispered, rubbing her temples as a headache came on. "How can we fix that? _Can_ we fix it?"

"There are a few options, none of them good," Severus admitted. "One is to bring you to him willingly and you claim you're loyal to the dark."

"Wouldn't he just want me to become a Death Eater?"

"Exactly."

"No offense, Granger, but I don't think you'd last long there," Leon spoke up. She just shrugged at him.

"I completely agree. What else?"

"You claim your place as loyal to the light and stop seeing us."

"No!" she answered immediately, her hand tightening around Regulus's. Her friends were the only thing holding her together at that point. She couldn't lose them.

"I'm not sure what else we can do, Little Lion," Regulus sighed. He hated the situation just as much as she did. "Besides, your shields aren't quite strong enough to stand up against Voldemort. I'm open to suggestions, but this is the best we've got."

Adelaide leaned back against him and rested her head on his chest. "I don't want to lose you guys."

"We don't want to, either," Avery spoke up. "But it's the safest option."

"If we do this - and that's only _if_ \- then I'm not going to stop seeing you guys. We come here a few times a week."

"Of course."

"And now the bad part," Regulus sighed, shifting to look at her again. "You… need a cover."

"What does that mean?"

"It means," Leon spoke up when Regulus hesitated. "That you need a fake boyfriend."

"No," she hissed, unknowingly grabbing Regulus tighter.

"Hey, not a real one," he reminded her with a small laugh. "I'm not letting you go. But we have to prove that you and I are… done."

She scrunched up her nose. "Don't say that. Can't I just hex you in the halls or something?"

"It's too easy to fake," Sirius told her reluctantly. "I know people have noticed Reg and I don't hate each other."

"You broke his nose!"

"Exactly my point."

She let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes. "Who do you suggest?"

"Remus," James spoke up. Adelaide turned her head to glare at him and he put his hands up. "Well it's me, Sirius, or Remus and he's the only one that isn't basically your brother, so…"

"I hate this."

"So it's decided then," Sirius said. "You'll date Remus."

Adelaide and Regulus both cringed.

"Okay, _fake_ date him."

"Do I get a choice in this?" Remus spoke up, annoyed.

"No."

"Great," Adelaide looked up. "Now everyone but Severus and Regulus get out."

"I'm wounded, kitten," Sirius joked. "You don't miss me at all?"

"Not when you're being a prat."

"Kitten's got claws," he joked.

"If you don't get out, I'll shift and scratch your face off."

With a few eye rolls, her friends left the room, leaving her with her brother and boyfriend. With them gone, she dug in her beaded bag and plucked out the ring she'd gotten from the vaults and handed it over to Severus.

"Is this-,"

"I took care of her vaults," she explained. "I thought you might want that."

"She was going to give it to me when I turned seventeen," he explained, slipping it onto his finger. "It's the Head ring. I've got the Heir one, but it's mostly just for show since we don't have a head right now."

Adelaide nodded and dug into her bag again, grabbing the key and handing it over before she could forget. "That, too. I don't wanna take it with me to the future and leave you with nothing."

"Thank you," he said softly, pocketing the ring. "For taking care of that."

"I wasn't sure if you could, and truthfully, I didn't want to make you."

"I'll… see you later, Addy," he said. She pecked his cheek and watched him walk out sadly. She knew he hadn't really processed Sarah's death, and she wished she could do something to help. Still, she knew that especially then she couldn't. When he closed the door, she relaxed back into Regulus's arms and settled her head back down onto his chest.

"Missed you," he whispered into his hair, which he was peppering with kisses. "You didn't fight much this summer, did you?"

"No," she shook her head. "Just Diagon Alley… honestly, it freaked me out pretty bad that we were both there. What if I'd tried to curse you?"

"You did," he let out a small laugh. "I distracted you with someone else. I was fine, Little Lion. I can take care of myself, I promise."

Her stomach did an anxious flip at his words. "This isn't funny, Reg. I could've hurt you."

"I know," he assured her, rubbing her arms gently. "But you're not going to go on raids, and if I get sent on any, I'll let you know."

"How?"

He looked at her like she was a bit stupid. "The rings?"

"Oh my god."

Regulus let out a laugh. "You forgot. You made them!"

She blushed. "A lot has happened!"

Regulus quieted and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. "I'm scared for you."

She leaned forward and kissed his lips hard, breathing all of her love and fear into the intimate moment. He adjusted to hold the back of her head, and she pressed up against him, eyes closed as she pulled back from the kiss. "I'm scared for us."

"We'll be okay."

"Part of me just wants this all to be over with," she admitted. "I don't want to fight anymore. I want to be back in the future with you and everyone else and not have to focus on Voldemort anymore."

"Not that long left," he promised. "Just a little over two years."

"I know," she sighed. "It still feels too long."

"We'll be okay," he said again.

"Can we… can we stay here tonight?"

Regulus nodded, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"I love you, Regulus."

"I love you, too, Adelaide."

Xx

The first two months of school went by agonizingly slowly. Her limited time with Regulus was really getting to her, not to mention the loss of her brother and her friend, who also were unable to see her except in the Room of Requirement.

To her absolute amusement, however, she found that the new muggle studies professor was… Fabian. When he'd been told by Dumbledore that the DADA position was a year to year contract, he'd strong-armed the old man into letting him take over muggle studies. How he'd done that, Adelaide had no idea, but she didn't care. It surprised her how relieved she found herself at the sight of Fabian still sitting up at the staff table.

Still, she couldn't help but feel nervous. She knew what happened in April. The beginning of it all. The Prewett twins would be attacked in their home and they'd either die or be sent to the future. She'd yet to give them their way there, and she made a mental note to give it to them as soon as she could.

Classes were tougher, and DADA was frustrating. The new professor was a retired auror that she suspected had been instructed not to teach them anything too powerful or dangerous considering the Death Eaters at the school. It angered her greatly that Dumbledore was willing to risk the lives of all of his students rather than expel a few terrorists.

The weeks leading up to Halloween, Adelaide had gone back to the Department of Mysteries to let Alphard run tests on her core, specifically the part that Dolohov was attached to. She'd told no one and had requested Alphard do the same. Reluctantly, he'd agreed and they'd begun working on fixing the issue at hand. It was Halloween night when Alphard sighed and set down his wand tiredly.

"I'm sorry, I just don't think it's possible," he told her for the third time. "A familial bond is not strong enough for this. You need someone with the ability to overpower it."

"I don't want to," she breathed out in frustration. "Not only is it nearly impossible to see him at all anymore, but the subject makes him extremely upset."

"Rightfully so."

"I know," she rolled her head back, irritated. "But he's got enough going on. You're sure you can't?"

"It has to be Regulus," Alphard confirmed. "I can't get close enough to get a look at it."

Adelaide sighed and sat down, staring at her hands quietly as her mind rushed with all the thoughts she'd been trying to keep away.

"You're scared of the future."

She looked up, surprised he'd guessed so accurately. "All of this… I didn't want my friends here to know. It makes me feel… I don't know, disgusting? Weak? I don't know. But when I get back to the future, Dolohov will _know_ and then… then I have to tell them all. I hated it when… with Bellatrix, I don't know. I spent so many years focusing on Harry, keeping my pain all to myself, and now there's nothing I can do."

"They're your friends," he reminded her gently. "They'll love you no matter what. And you don't have to tell them what happened, just that Dolohov cursed you and he's after you."

She paused, blinking. "That hadn't- my friends here are so bad at secrets, it just didn't occur to me."

He offered her a smile. "There you go. We can work on this at a later time if you and Regulus can figure it out, okay?

"Yeah, okay. Thanks, Alphard."

"No problem."

Xx

Adelaide sat with Lily in the library, reading quietly together when the door nearby opened and they caught sight of James. Lily watched as he walked over while Adelaide went back to her book, but listened curiously.

"Lily," James greeted, sounding nervous. "I'm going to ask you once and then I'll leave it alone forever, okay?"

"What?"

"Will you go to Hogsmeade with me?"

Lily paused, looking at him. "Sure."

Adelaide dropped her book in surprise and stared at her friend in shock, the same way that James was.

"S-sure?" James blinked, a grin breaking out. "Okay! Okay. I'll pick you up tomorrow and we can go down for lunch."

"Okay."

"Okay," he said, blinking at her as if he didn't quite believe her. "Okay."

Adelaide watched him walk away and smacked her friend's arm. "Lily! You can't prank him like that. It's so mean."

"It's not a prank," Lily blushed. "He's really matured, Addy. I like him."

"Oh, wow," she breathed. "Okay. Well, um… we should probably figure out what you're going to wear then, huh?"

"Oh, Merlin," Lily's eyes widened. "I hadn't considered that."

"We'll get Marlene's help," Adelaide laughed. "Let's go!"

Xx

Remus stood outside of Slytherin common room awkwardly, dreading the day ahead of them. A few kids passed him and two gave him a dirty look, but no one attacked by the time Adelaide appeared by his side, looking just as excited as he felt.

"Let's get this over with," she muttered, taking the arm he offered her. He nodded in agreement, not offended at all. While he'd had a small crush on her in their third year, he'd come to see her as someone else, mostly a best friend.

When they got down to the path leading to Hogsmeade, they met up with Sirius, who rolled his eyes at them.

"Try looking less miserable, maybe," he chuckled, watching as the two put on fake but passable smiles. "That works, I guess."

"Has James left yet?"

"He's waiting for Lily," Sirius shook his head. "I can't believe she said yes."

"None of us can," Remus laughed.

"Honestly, I thought she was going to hex him at first," Adelaide admitted. "But she _blushed_. We spent three hours figuring out her outfit, hair, and makeup."

"Was any of that time spent on you?" Sirius asked, glancing at the dress she wore. Her hair was up in a high ponytail, and she had on a nude lip and smoky eyes, which was more than she was used to.

"She gave me a dress and Marlene did my makeup," she shrugged. "Definitely not my style."

"How long do we have to spend out here?" Remus asked as they reached the village. Sirius rolled his eyes at his friend.

"You two went to Hogsmeade together all the time in third year and you had fun then. Just pretend that's what you're doing now but hold hands and maybe kiss her cheek."

"I can probably do that," he agreed, a little more optimistic than before. They separated from Sirius at Zonko's, where the boy went to restock his supply of dungbombs, having used the last one on Regulus the day before. Remus and Adelaide made their way to the nearby bookstore where they browsed together for nearly an hour, something that they both found extremely enjoyable.

"Tell me about after the war," Remus requested suddenly as they made their way to Quality Quidditch Supplies so she could pick up her present for Sirius - a new pair of gloves that she had his initials stitched into.

She considered his request quietly. "Well, it was chaos at first. The ministry was nearly completely cleared out to ensure none of his followers remained and a friend became our Minister. Harry and I helped with some of the repairs for Hogwarts, though we stopped when all that was left was the little bits and bobs. I spent a lot of time with everyone I could, all of my friends."

"What about your parents?"

She bit her lip. She hadn't thought about them in a while, and she felt guilt pool in her stomach for the fact. "Before we went on the run, I Obliviated them and sent them to Australia. They don't remember me."

"Oh," he breathed, squeezing her hand. She leaned over and smiled.

"It's okay. I've got plenty of people. Can I tell you something about your future?"

"Sure."

"You have a kid."

"Fuck," he whispered, eyes wide.

"And don't give me that shit about infecting your kid," she hissed before he could start worrying. "It is a perfectly healthy baby, just a wizard. But you made me godmother and Harry godfather."

"Oh," he smiled softly. "That's nice. You'd be a good mother."

She restrained herself from making a face at him. Kids weren't her favorite things, but she adored Teddy Lupin. "Sirius was horribly offended when he wasn't the godfather. You told him he already had a godson to take care of and to go make his own kid if he wanted one so bad. I think he got drunk after that."

Remus let out a laugh. "Sirius isn't the paternal type."

"Not at all."

"Hey, Addy?"

"Yeah?"

He pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I'm glad you came to the past."

"Me too."

Xx

November and December both went by in a flash and before they knew it, Christmas break was upon them. That year, Dorea gave Adelaide a catalogue and made her pick her dress for the ball from there. Truthfully, she was dreading the thing. Nothing good ever seemed to happen at the ball, but she'd been assured by Charlus that the guest list had changed greatly and that anyone suspected of being a Death Eater was uninvited.

Christmas Eve, Adelaide was sitting with James in his bedroom when her ring heated up. She lifted up her hand to see the message floating above her ring.

_Sirius. Emergency. Get to the floo._

She let out a string of curses and threw herself off the bed and sprinted down the stairs with James on her heels, shouting after her in concern. When she reached the sitting room, she felt a sob build in her chest at the sight in front of her.

Sirius lay on the wood floor, bleeding freely and twitching. She ran over and grabbed him into her arms before locking eyes with James. "Get your parents! He's been tortured."

"_Fuck_," James hissed before rushing off to find his parents. Adelaide cast a stasis charm to hold his muscles still and brushed the hair out of his face. His bleeding wasn't slowing down by any means and, purely guessing, she began casting the counter curse for Sectumsempra, relieved when it worked. His skin slowly pulled itself back together, and she wrapped her arms around him again, holding him tightly to her.

"Adelaide," Charlus said, speeding into the room to kneel next to her. "You have to let go of him. We need to take him to St. Mungo's."

"I forgot," she cried out. "I forgot."

"He'll be okay, dear," Dorea assured her. "But we need to get him help."

"Okay," she whispered, forcing her arms open so Charlus could lift Sirius into his arms and step into the floo. He was gone with a flash, and Adelaide looked down to stare at the blood seeping into her clothes and covering her hands. She'd even gotten some in her hair, and she whimpered at the sight.

"James, I'm going to go with," Dorea told her son. "You take Adelaide to her room and find Lily and Leon and let them know what happened. I'll let you know when something happens."

"Okay," James agreed, his voice shaking. Dorea stepped into the floo and disappeared as well, leaving James to wrap an arm around Adelaide. "Hey, come on. Let's get you to your room, yeah? You could probably use a shower."

She stood and let him guide her up the stairs, sniffling along the way. "I forgot, James. How could I forget?"

"You can't remember everything, Addy," he comforted her. "He's gonna be okay."

"Like I'm okay?" she asked bitterly. The question startled James, and he wasn't entirely sure how to reply.

"Let's focus on getting this blood off of you, okay?" he suggested, leading her into her bathroom where he summoned a nightgown and a towel. "You go ahead and shower and I'll go find Lily and Leon."

"They're- they're in the garden," Adelaide told him as he turned on the water for her.

"Okay. I'll be right back, okay?"

She nodded a little and he left the bathroom, shutting the door behind him, though he didn't leave the room until he heard her get into the shower. He sped down and out to the garden where he found his girlfriend and his friend arguing heatedly.

"James!" Lily exclaimed upon noticing him, though her excitement faded at the sight of blood. "Oh my god. What happened?"

"I don't- I don't know. It's Sirius. He's at St. Mungo's with my parents. Addy's… she's a wreck. Apparently, she knew about this."

"Where is she?" Leon asked, getting to his feet.

"She's taking a shower," James winced. "She got blood… everywhere. She found him. Actually, I think Regulus sent her a message."

The kids all made their way back to Adelaide's room, surprised to find her out of the shower and dressed when they got there, drying her hair with her wand. There was no blood to be seen and her skin was a bit red, as well as her eyes, likely from crying.

"Hey," James offered her a smile. "How are you doing?"

"Worried," she replied. "Has your mum said anything?"

"No, I'd imagine she's explaining it to the mediwitches," James sighed. "I'd say we should go, but I don't think it's a good idea just yet."

"The Cruciatus is more difficult to heal from when you're crowded," Adelaide agreed, gathering startled stares from James and Lily. "Shit, I didn't even… Bellatrix. They tried to make him join Voldemort and when he refused, Bellatrix tortured him."

"Shit," James whispered. "You knew?"

Guilt flashed over her face. "I did. I just forgot… things have been so hectic and it completely slipped my mind."

"It's okay," Leon assured her. "You couldn't have changed it, anyway. Paradoxes, remember?"

"Very comforting," she muttered, sitting on her bed and setting her wand down. Her hand hovered over her ring and she closed her eyes, thinking, to send a message to Regulus.

_He's safe. Are you okay?_

It was barely a moment before her ring heated up and she got a response.

_No._

She let out a short sigh and laid back on the bed, closing her eyes. "What do we do?"

"Wait," Lily said slowly. "There's nothing else we can do."

"I guess not."

Xx

Sirius's eyes blinked open nearly a full day later to the sight of Alphard and Dorea whispering quietly to one another. When he shifted and gasped at the pain, they both looked at him.

"You're awake," Alphard said, making his way over while Dorea left to find a nurse. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been tortured by a bloody insane witch," he replied, moving to sit up with his uncle's help. "What happened? I remember passing out but not getting out."

"It seems your brother sent you to the Potters and told Adelaide you'd be there. We think she got to you about two minutes after you arrived."

"How bad is it?"

Alphard hesitated. "Not as bad as it could be. You got immediate emergency help, which will take a great deal of time off your recovery, but it'll still take a few weeks. You lost a lot of blood, too, so you're taking blood replenishing potions for the next three days."

"Why did I lose blood?" he asked, startled. He'd only remembered the Cruciatus before passing out.

"Someone hit you with the spell your friend made," Alphard sighed. "Adelaide healed most of those wounds before help came."

"Where is… anyone?"

Alphard took a seat in the chair next to the bed. "Your friends are at Potter Manor waiting for you to wake up, and Charlus went to Gringott's for some business. Dorea and I were discussing… I've gotten papers from Orion. Dorea and Charlus, as of today, are your legal guardians. Congratulations."

"Good," Sirius nodded firmly. "They're better parents than Walburga or Orion could ever be."

"Shall I go find your friends?" Alphard asked, rolling his eyes. Sirius nodded quickly and the man stepped out of the room, leaving Sirius to contemplate the things he remembered.

It had started out just like any other holiday. He'd been locked in his room after being screamed at for something he couldn't remember. He'd wasted time reading magazines and casting harmless spells for three days before Regulus appeared in his room, looking nervous.

"What?" Sirius had asked, getting to his feet. "What is it?"

"It's… Bella. Mother sent for her. Shit, Sirius. It's bad."

He'd been taken to the tapestry room where Walburga stood with Bellatrix talking quietly. They'd asked him to pledge his allegiance to Voldemort and when he'd refused, Bellatrix had begun.

He wasn't sure when it ended. He'd passed out and was fairly certain he was going to die. And then… he hadn't. He supposed he had Regulus to thank for that.

There was a knock on the door and he smiled as James and Remus walked in together. He could see Adelaide and Lily sitting with Leon just outside the room and raised an eyebrow curiously.

"For one, only two visitors are allowed in at a time," Remus shrugged.

"And for two, Adelaide feels guilty and doesn't want to see you," James finished, shooting a look at the girl, who caught his eye and frowned. "How're you feeling, Pads?"

"Like shit," he admitted. "Your mum hasn't come back with the nurse yet."

"She was talking to dad in the hall," James told him, taking a seat where Alphard had just been. "How bad is it?"

"Not as bad as it could be," he promised. "It'll take a few weeks apparently but I'll be okay. How are you guys doing?"

"Fine, mostly," Remus sighed, his gaze drifting out to the hall. "Worried. It's just Addy that's having issues."

"She thinks everything is her fault," Sirius sighed. "She never could have stopped this."

"Try telling her that."

"Okay," he agreed. "I want to talk to her."

His friends exchanged a look and walked back into the hall. He saw Adelaide pale before arguing with them, but they managed to shove her in the room and close and lock the door behind her.

"Wow, didn't know I'm so ugly," Sirius joked, winking at her when she turned to take him in. She stepped over silently and touched his face gently, closing her eyes tight when she did. "Hey, I'm okay. It's okay, kitten."

"There was so much blood," she whispered. "I thought you'd died."

"But I'm here," he assured her. "You saved me, Addy. I'm okay."

"I'm sorry."

He gripped her hand within his own and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "This isn't your burden to bear, Adelaide. Would you blame me for _your_ torture?"

"What?" Her head shot up and she wondered if someone had told him he'd be there. "No. Why?"

"Relax," he blinked. "I just mean that there's nothing you could've possibly done. Why? Did I-,"

"No," she cut him off, meaning it. There was nothing he could've done. He'd transformed and was taken to the a separate room by Narcissa. She'd counted herself lucky that he'd been fine when they left. "I'm just- I just have these things, this knowledge, and I can't do anything with it. What's the point if I can't help the people I love?"

"Take care of me," he requested. "Until I feel better. Will that make you feel better?"

She hesitated. "I don't know…"

"I'll even let you give me a sponge bath."

"Ew!" She scrunched up her nose. "No! Fine, okay! Ew."

Sirius let out a laugh. "There you go. Better already."

Xx

By the time the ball rolled around, Sirius was walking on his own but still on a heavy rotation of potions to handle the pain. Adelaide had kept true to her promise and helped him with anything she could, to the point she was becoming overbearing.

The ball itself was much calmer than the years before. There was dancing and mingling still, but no Death Eaters. It felt odd to Adelaide to have Sirius there but not Regulus, something Dorea had apologized for. Since he was a Death Eater, it would've been suspicious to invite him.

She spent most of the night with the Prewett twins and when everyone was distracted welcoming the new year, she snuck them up to her room and handed them the makeshift time turners.

"Explain more how these were made," Gideon requested as he put his around his neck while Fabian turned his around in his hands.

"Well, from me," she said simply. "It's sort of hard to explain, but basically when part of my body decays - such as hair - it becomes time sands. We used them to fit a device to go to the future. The exact time of day is already fixed in, you just have to think of the day and year, which is July 31st, 1998. It'll take you to one of Draco's houses. We were going to send you to the Burrow but Draco reminded me that the Order is generally suspicious of… everything, and you two popping up out of nowhere is a bit suspicious. They'll already have to deal with me and that'll be hard enough."

"Do you know… when?" Fabian asked her gently. She nodded slowly.

"April 1st of this year."

"Shit," Gideon whispered. "That's four months away. What happens?"

"Death Eaters break into your home. No one knows much aside from that, honestly. I only know because Ginny told me that when Molly heard about your deaths, she went into labor."

"Oh, shit," Gideon cursed. "Molly's pregnant again."

"I know," she sighed. "I know this isn't an ideal situation, but…"

Fabian cracked a smile. "But if I leave, who will teach muggle studies?"

Adelaide let out a laugh. "I think we'll live without you, Fab. Just barely."

Xx

Sirius stood in the Room of Requirement with Adelaide, Severus, and Regulus, fury in his eyes and his wand in his hand, pointed at Severus.

"Sirius stop!" Adelaide screamed, trying to shove her way between them. Her boyfriend held her back, fully aware of how unstable his brother was at the moment. She hit at his leg trying to get him to let go but he held on tight while Severus just stood there calmly.

"Why the fuck did you do it?" Sirius shouted, raising his wand to the boy's neck. "Tell me!"

"I had to."

"You didn't have to do shit!"

Severus took in a deep breath, begging for patience. "I get that you got out of this hell, Black, but I didn't. And I had to kill someone to get the mark. I didn't get to decide who it was."

"You should've fucking said no," Sirius spat, moving his wand to curse him. Adelaide slipped her hand away from Regulus just long enough to put up a shield in front of her brother, safely absorbing the curse before it could hit him.

"Why do you care?" Severus asked, his temper rising with the failed curse. "They're not your parents."

"There! A perfect example of someone else you could've killed!"

"He's not alone," Severus tried again. "He has the Potters."

"Who shouldn't be a home for orphans," Sirius glared. "I knew it. The second you called Lily a mudblood-,"

"_I had to_-,"

"You're just as evil as the rest of them," Sirius sneered. "Stay the fuck away from all of us."

"Sirius," Adelaide tried, her eyes wide. She'd hoped that maybe, just maybe, they'd never hate each other like she'd thought they had. Her friend turned to look at her and she didn't like the look on his face.

"I'll see you at the Whomping Willow tonight."

She cringed but nodded as he stormed out of the room, turning back only once to try again to hex Severus. She shielded him easily and relaxed only when Regulus released her and she went over to Severus to look him over. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he assured her. "What are you guys doing at the Whomping Willow?"

"Nothing," she lied. "You're sure you're okay?"

"I'm sure."

"But what happened?" she asked hesitantly. "He never… really said."

"Addy," Regulus said, touching her arm lightly. "Severus received the mark, and to do that, we have to… kill someone. He was ordered to kill Remus's parents."

"Oh," she breathed, suddenly a little dizzy. "I see."

"Adelaide, I didn't-,"

"I know," she assured quickly. "You didn't have a choice. I know."

"Let's hope Sirius realizes it soon, too."

Xx

That night was one of the worst nights of all of their lives so far.

An hour after the moon came out, Sirius snuck out to the castle grounds to slowly make his way to the Whomping Willow. Everyone else, he knew, were already there. He could tell he was being followed and his absolute fury was satisfied with that.

He shifted down into his Grim form upon reaching the tree and tapped the knot in the trunk, stilling the movements. After sliding down the tunnel, he went to find his friends.

It was over rather quickly, really. When he got to his friends, they all knew something was up. When Severus appeared in the Shrieking Shack, Adelaide began growling angrily at Sirius while James as Prongs took Severus back to the castle. It was truthfully rather safe with Remus on the potion, but they didn't want to take any risks.

Sirius was promptly kicked out of the Shrieking Shack when James went back, and the next morning, there was hell to pay.

All of the Marauders, including Adelaide, gathered in the 6th year Gryffindor boys' dorm where they all ganged up on Sirius. All, that is, except for Remus, who was so angry and hurt and disappointed that he just sat silently on his bed, not saying a word.

It all came to a stop when Adelaide slapped him out of fury and rushed from Gryffindor, eyes welling up with tears.

She couldn't fathom what the goal was. To get Severus and Remus both killed? To scare Severus? Whatever it was, all it had done was push his friends away from him. She turned a corner and leaned against a wall when she was sure there were no students around and let her tears fall, wishing more than anything that she was back home with Harry and the Sirius that she knew had matured.

"Adelaide?"

She looked up in surprise at Avery, who had wide eyes. "Oh. Avery."

"Are you alright?"

"It's Sirius," she muttered. "Did Severus..?"

"He told us," Avery nodded, walking over when he was sure no one else was around. "You just yell at him?"

She nodded her head, swiping at the tears on her cheeks. "He doesn't even care. And now all he's done is make Remus feel even worse when he's supposed to be supporting him. He just lost his parents for god's sake."

"He'll be okay," Avery assured her, glancing around in worry. She understood. It was dangerous to be talking in the open like that. "Focus on Remus. Wait for Sirius to apologize for what he's done."

"I know," she sighed, mustering up a smile. "It's nice to see you. You haven't come to the Room at all."

Avery looked at her hesitantly. "After the last… when Dolohov was released, Severus nearly tried to kill him. The Carrows had to pull him off. Voldemort assigned him to me instead and put Severus with Alecto. I've been trying to keep an eye on him for you."

"Has it been hard?"

"A little. He's very… determined."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Xx

James sat with Lily, tracing patterns on her thigh while she ran her fingers through his hair. They'd been dating for a few months and she'd fallen fast and hard, surprising them both. James was already completely in love with her, and he'd waited for her to say 'I love you' first for her sake. When she'd done it, he'd cried just a little, though he would deny it if asked.

"Do you think we'll be the same when she leaves?"

James looked at his girlfriend and considered the question. "I think I'm going to worry about her a lot, but… no. I don't think so."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Huh?"

"Do you want to marry me?"

James stopped breathing for a minute. "W-what?"

She smiled at him softly. "Marry me."

"We're in school!"

"I know that, dummy," she laughed. "I mean when we get out."

"I thought I was- I'm supposed to-,"

"Yeah, but I beat you to it."

James leaned up and pressed a kiss to her lips. "The second we leave school."

Xx

It was nearly three weeks before anyone found out that James and Lily were engaged. There was no ring yet, simply for the fact that James wanted to pick it out himself from the vaults, and they didn't want to make a big deal about it because they both thought there were more important things going on.

To their friends, they were completely wrong.

Shouting ensued and Adelaide had jumped over Peter to attack Lily with a giant hug, which left Lily out of breath. By the time everyone had calmed down, Sirius was begging James to be the best man.

"Merlin, Padfoot," Remus said, throwing a shoe at his friend. "Relax."

The pair had made up a week after the incident, but it was clear Remus would likely never truly forgive his friend, which was fair considering what he'd done. Still, things were generally back to normal at that point, much to Sirius's relief.

"Of course," James laughed at his friend before looking to Remus and Peter. "And you'll be my groomsmen?"

"Yeah."

"Sure."

Lily grabbed Adelaide and raised an eyebrow. "Maid of honor?"

Adelaide's breath caught and her eyes widened. "_Me_?"

"You."

Adelaide wrapped her friend up in another hug. "I'd love to."

Things calmed down again after that, leaving them to talk softly about wedding plans and pureblood ceremonies versus muggle ceremonies. It was possibly one of the most relaxing conversations they'd had in a long time, and they could almost forget the war raging around them.

Xx

"Give it to me."

Adelaide looked up in surprise. "What?"

Leon sat down next to her in the common room. "I need to leave."

"Oh," she breathed, eyes wide. "Okay. Are you okay?"

"I just- I can't handle this," he admitted. "Seeing all of these people that lived in my house. It's too much."

"I know," she sighed, reaching into the beaded bag to find his makeshift time turner. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I never meant for you to come here."

"I don't regret being here," he assured her. "But I need to go."

"Yeah," she handed it over. "It's already programmed for the exact time of day and the place - your villa - so just think about July 31st, 1998."

"Thank you."

"Good luck, Draco."

Xx

A week and a half before Easter, Fabian disappeared.

Dumbledore gave a speech to Hogwarts the next day about sticking together through adversity and the importance of safety in the hard times. Adelaide stood up and left in the middle of it.

The end of sixth year was hard. The two parts of her life had fully separated and she could barely see her brother or boyfriend anymore. She knew it would only get worse the next year, and once graduated, she wasn't sure she'd be able to see them at all.

By the time school let out, Mary McDonald had been found dead in the library and Marlene's family had been targeted and killed.

Two days before they went back to Potter Manor, Adelaide met with Dumbledore.

"Miss Snape," Dumbledore greeted. "What a surprise. How may I help you?"

"I want to join the Order."

"I'm afraid that's impossible."

She shook her head and cut him off before he could continue. "No, it isn't. I get it, I'm not supposed to fight, but I need to help. I'm going crazy here, Professor. I need to do something."

"Students are not allowed in the Order, unlike Death Eaters."

"We both know I'm not really a student. I've fought plenty already. Please, professor, just let me join. Let me help where I can."

Dumbledore looked at her for a long moment. "Your right hand, please."

She hesitated. "I already have the mark, do I really need to-,"

"You need one with my signature," he told her. She sighed and nodded, lifting her sleeve up just enough. Part of her scar was visible and she saw him eye it before placing his wand on her wrist and giving her the mark again. With that done, she sighed out in relief.

"Thank you."

"You cannot fight like that," he told her. "You also cannot fight as your adult self. Find a disguise before each raid."

"I will. I'll probably just spend the summer as an adult, honestly."

"Be safe, Miss Snape."

Xx


	8. Chapter 7

**September 18th, 1977**

**Hogwarts**

The summer was a flurry of fighting. Her ring lit up every time she went to a raid, and she always assured Regulus she was okay and where she was before she got into the thick of it. The ring was her only way to communicate with him, and that continued on when she got to Hogwarts. It was harder for them to find the time to meet up, and it was harder to convince people that she was dating Remus. In the end, Sirius had the perfect plan for it.

It was at dinner when most of the school was guaranteed to be there. Adelaide had taken her seat next to Remus and they'd bickered throughout the entire meal for show. Finally, twenty minutes into dinner, she stood and he turned to race after her. When they were firmly in the middle of the hall, she raised her voice.

"I never want to see you again," she yelled. "I can't believe you'd cheat on me with a Veela!"

"Addy-,"

And then she raised her hand and swung it down, slapping him across the face. His hand came to hold his cheek and he watched as she stormed out of the Great Hall with all eyes on him.

It worked well.

Still, Adelaide was exhausted. She missed Avery, Severus, and Regulus, and she knew she wouldn't truly be able to see them again until she was back in her own time. As much as she wanted to skip ahead and go there, she knew there was no one she trusted more than herself to help Regulus in the cave, which left her still stuck in the past, waiting.

Since it was her seventh year, the year she'd been on the run for, she went to her classes and studied. She enjoyed the things that challenged her, but she was surprised to find that not much did, even in a year she hadn't gone to.

Kids went missing almost weekly and because of that, many students were pulled from school. She knew Frank Longbottom had been removed by Augusta and was planning to be homeschooled for his last year. Even Dorea and Charlus had considered taking all of their children out of school, but after begging from almost all of them - Lily and Remus being the understandable exceptions - they gave in and decided it was up to the kids.

Almost everyone went back to school. Only Leon had not, and it was simply because he'd left. To Adelaide's horror, he'd left without saying goodbye to anyone, and she was left to explain why he couldn't be there anymore. She was fairly certain everyone was pissed at him, but no one more than James who knew he wouldn't live to 1998.

Daily life for Adelaide consisted of classes and then sneaking off to the Room of Requirement. She didn't feel safe in Slytherin anymore considering the fact that no one there, save for Marlene, could help her if something happened. Gryffindor wasn't much better, either. While she had tried to make it clear that she was over Regulus to the entire school, Gryffindor was suspicious of her and therefore didn't trust her to be in their common room.

It was in October when things went bad.

Adelaide had moved most of her things to the Room simply so that she wouldn't have to sneak through Slytherin. Dumbledore had followed up on his promise to give her separate rooms, but it had still been attached to the common room, completely defeating the purpose of moving her in the first place.

She hadn't gone back for her sake. It was a message from Marlene, after giving the scared girl a DA galleon, that took her running back to the common room at three in the morning. She slammed into the room and looked around to find the Carrows sitting with Marlene. Marlene was crying quietly, and while Adelaide's instincts told her to run, she refused to abandon her friend to the twisted twins.

"Ah, she's here," Amycus stood, a dark smile falling over his lips. "I suppose we don't need this one anymore."

"Kill her?"

"No," Adelaide said, putting her hand up. "I swear to god, if you kill her, I'll kill you both."

It was truly an empty threat. She knew they had to be there in the future at the final battle, but they didn't know that. The pair exchanged a glance as they considered her words.

"I heard she nearly killed Walburga Black," Alecto told her brother before looking to Adelaide. "Let us bind you first and we will release her."

She sucked in a deep breath and pushed all the power she could to her ring to activate it, sending one word to Regulus.

_Carrows_.

With that done, she nodded once. "Do it."

"Addy, no," Marlene called. She looked at her friend sadly. She must've fought them because she had a cut on her shoulder and a bruise on her cheek.

"It's okay, Marls. I'll be okay."

A spell hit her and she tried her best not to panic at the ropes wrapping around her tightly. She didn't have her wand on her as she didn't need it anymore and was in a rush, so Alecto bound her hands together as well as her arms. She watched Amycus shove Marlene, who met her eyes for only a moment before running out of the common room, likely to find one of the Marauders and let them know what happened.

"Ready?" Alecto asked her brother. The boy adjusted his robes and nodded. The pair walked around to behind her and pressed something into her hand, both of them touching it as well. The portkey pulled them away and she gasped as she dropped to the ground, unable to control the fall because of the ropes binding her.

When she looked up, she knew exactly where she was.

"I'll go inform the Dark Lord we have her," Amycus said, moving out of the room. She was placed into a chair which she was then tied to and she sucked in a deep breath, looking around at the familiar stone and tile room. Panic rose in her chest at the sight and she wished more than anything that they could be _anywhere _else.

The door opened again and she didn't bother looking up. Alecto moved away and she heard rushed whispers before the door closed. She did look up now and was shocked to find Regulus rushing over to her. He got over and kneeled down to touch their heads together gently. "Addy."

"I'm sorry," she whispered to him. "They had Marlene. I had to go."

"I know," he assured her. "Come on. Let's go."

"No!"

"_What_?"

She let out a breath and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, relishing the feeling of it after so long. "I think Marlene went to get Sirius. But you can't- you can't do this, Reg. You have to be trusted to get to the cave and-,"

"Damn the cave," he snapped. "You don't know what they want from you, Adelaide. Your shields aren't strong enough to hold off Voldemort for long. You have to go."

"Whatever happens," she told him. "I'll be okay. But you have to go, Reg, okay? He'll be suspicious if he catches you in here with me."

"What if he-,"

"It's possible," she agreed hurriedly. "And I'll be okay. Please, just go. Get a message to the Order if you can."

"I don't want you to be hurt."

"I love you."

He stared at her for a long minute before pressing a kiss to her lips and standing up. "I love you too, Little Lion."

"Go," she nodded toward the door. He took in a deep breath and walked away. It hurt more than she expected it to, but she watched him leave anyway, the sight of him hurting and healing.

It was nearly five minutes later when the door opened again, and this time she saw Voldemort walk in with Severus behind him. Obviously, the boy didn't know what was happening because when his eyes settled on her, his mask fell and was replaced with pure panic. She shook her head subtly at him and watched as he forced his mask back up.

"Miss Snape," Voldemort greeted, walking in a circle around her chair. "I've been looking for you for quite some time."

"I've heard."

"See, your brother here assures me you are loyal to the light," he explained, coming to a stop in front of her. "But I'm not sure that's true. You dated Regulus Black and befriended Frederick Avery. That's quite the little collection of Death Eaters, isn't it?"

"In all fairness, they weren't Death Eaters when I met them," she replied, trying to stay as calm as possible. She knew what he wanted and was concerned that he might just get it.

"So," Voldemort said, trailing his finger along her jaw. She shivered, closing her eyes. It was a disgustingly intimate thing and every part of her wanted to punch the man that terrorized the wizarding world. "You are to become a Death Eater as well."

"No thanks."

He let out a small laugh. "I was not _asking_. If I have to force you, then so be it."

"I honestly don't think there's anything you can do that would-,"

The door opened with a wave of his hand and she cut off at the sight of Dolohov, grinning at her darkly. Severus moved first, his wand out and pointed at the boy. "My Lord, you said-,"

"And then I changed my mind," Voldemort interrupted. "Lower your wand, Severus. He will not hurt her so long as she cooperates."

"Honestly?" Adelaide looked at Voldemort, anger and fear coursing through her. "You can go to hell."

"I see," Voldemort hummed, waving Dolohov into the room. "Perhaps ten minutes with him will be enough to convince you."

"Adelaide," Severus said, stiffening as Dolohov walked over to her. "Just do it."

"No," she shook her head, shoving down the terror that had replaced her anger. She winced when Dolohov touched her shoulder and laughed.

Voldemort led a reluctant and furious Severus out of the room. Ten minutes later, they returned to find her fully clothed but certainly cursed. She was bleeding and had a few bruises already forming. Voldemort came to a stop in front of her again and tried to meet her eyes, which she avoided.

"Smart girl," he laughed. "Are you ready yet? I know Mister Dolohov is desperate to… get his hands on you again."

"Fuck off," she spat. His eyes flashed with anger and he backed up, turning to look at Severus.

"I see. Perhaps there's something else that would better motivate you," he said, grabbing his wand and pointing it at her brother. "My apologies, Severus."

"My Lord-,"

"_Crucio_!"

Severus fell to the floor under the torture curse, and Adelaide cried out in horror. His screams terrified her, and she begged Voldemort to stop. After nearly five minutes, he did. He turned to her, eyes wicked. "Are you ready?"

"Yes!" she cried, looking at Severus. "Yes, please. Leave him alone."

"Very good," he said. "We will be back."

The door closed behind Voldemort, leaving her alone with her brother. He was nearby, and she wished she could reach him but her ropes held her tight to her chair. "Sev."

There was some shifting and he managed to pull himself up to his feet, though he leaned heavily against her chair. "You don't have to do this."

"I do," she shook her head, frowning at his light shaking. "Shit. You need to get help, Sev. The first few minutes is the worst."

"Don't do this," he asked her, his eyes dark. "I'll be okay."

"No, you won't," she disagreed. "Please. Go get help. I'll be alright here, okay?"

"You can't-,"

"Look, Reg and Marlene are getting me help," she promised. "I mean it. I'll be okay."

"This isn't something you can get rid of," he shook his head at her. "You've got another year and a half here, Adelaide. You don't want to fight with us."

"Go."

"Addy-,"

"You can't change my mind," she told him firmly. "Go!"

He winced as he nodded. "I'll make sure someone is on the way. Please just… procrastinate."

She held back her humorless laugh. "Yeah."

Severus stumbled out of the room and she waited, staring at the room around her. Her mind drifted to being captured with Harry and Sirius and she wondered at how she ended up back in the same place even after years of healing from it.

It was an hour before the door opened again and she looked over to see Voldemort walking in with a man dressed in muggle clothes. She sucked in a breath, suddenly remembering how one received the dark mark.

Voldemort waved his hands at her and she felt her ropes fall limp. She shoved them away and got to her feet, wincing only a little as her injuries from Dolohov were irritated. His crucio was a bad one and one that left her shaking once more.

"You will kill this man," Voldemort told her.

"Why?"

"He is married to a pureblood witch," he explained to her. "Wasting her blood, sullying her line."

Adelaide stared at the man. He was likely stunned and she preferred it that way. Still, she looked up to Voldemort again. "How does this work? What will happen?"

"You will kill him and I will cast the charms required to give you the dark mark," he explained. "Rather simple for you, so get to it."

She stared at the man in front of her. She wanted to stall, to wait, but Voldemort seemed to be in a particularly bad mood, and she didn't want to risk anyone else getting tortured. And as much as she wanted to save the man, she also knew he'd be killed anyway. That fact did not, however, do anything to comfort her as she raised her hand. She sucked in a deep breath.

"I'm sorry."

She cast the curse and watched the green light hit his stiff body.

"_Signum tenebris, imperpetuum dampnetur, anima apposuit_."

She let out a scream of pain as he repeated his words over and over. She fell to her knees and ripped her sleeves up to find the mark being carved in on her left arm, likely because her right arm already had something on it. The pain was excruciating and she understood why Draco had compared it to torture. The mark was appearing slowly, and it was almost four minutes before the skull was finished and it began on the snake coming out of the mouth. Just as Draco had, Adelaide found herself passing out, the world fading away from her as the pain continued to increase.

Xx

Sirius, James, and Remus stood above Adelaide's bed, worry clear on their faces. Her injuries hadn't been too bad, mostly small curses and hexes and they'd been easy to heal.

The issue came in the form of the Dark Mark on her arm. It wasn't possible to remove it and it radiated dark magic.

They'd been woken by Marlene running into their dorm and screaming about the Carrows taking Adelaide, which led them to Dumbledore, who then called an emergency Order meeting to find her. It was about ten minutes into the meeting when a Patronus arrived to Moody, Aberforth, and Albus from Regulus explaining the situation a little more clearly.

In the end, however, none of them found her.

When an hour had passed an all tracking spells failed, Sirius had gone to his grandfather. It was a difficult conversation, but the man had taken all of her memories from her entire life, and therefore knew where she was. Arcturus had sent them to Malfoy Manor, where they'd found her unconscious and being given the dark mark, a muggle dead nearby.

It was a full three days before she awoke from the magical coma her damaged core had been put into. When she had, she was adamant that she was fine and didn't need any help. Regardless of that, she'd been surrounded by her friends since it happened. It was another two days before anyone was willing to ask just what had happened.

"I wasn't going to," she told Sirius, Remus, James, and Lily as they sat together in the Room of Requirement. "He even… he got Dolohov in there, and I wasn't going to, but then he started… he tortured Severus, and-,"

She was cut off by a gasp from Lily. "Oh my god."

"It was only a few minutes, but I couldn't… I couldn't let him do that, so I said I'd do it. And… I mean, I did."

Remus took her hand, and she offered him an appreciative smile while he spoke. "But what… does it mean? How do you get it?"

"Um," she bit her lip, looking at her friends. Only Sirius and Regulus knew she'd ever killed anyone, and she wasn't sure she was ready for everyone else to know. Still, they'd be entering the war full force soon and they needed to be ready. "He made me kill a man."

"Oh my god," Lily stared at her with wide, sad eyes. "Was he- I mean…"

"He was a muggle," she confirmed, feeling sick. "And it's not like… I mean, I've killed before, but only Death Eaters. This was just an innocent man that… that fell in love with a witch and died for it." Sirius wrapped an arm around her and she leaned into him gratefully. She knew he understood. He'd been exposed to enough darkness in his life that he knew it was sometimes unavoidable.

"And getting the mark?" James asked gently. She frowned.

"It reminded me of the _Cruciatus_," she admitted. "It… tugged at everything dark inside. Pulled it to the surface. For me, that included all of my pain. But I passed out a lot faster from the mark than I did with the _Cruciatus_."

"Are you gonna… are you gonna have the same problems Leon did?" Lily wondered.

Adelaide looked down. "Not until I… not until I go back to the future. Maybe not even until a few years after that. Draco was an… unusual situation. We don't know how much of a factor being in the past was. I know that I'll be okay for at least three months or so once I get back. It should be enough time to take care of it."

"You're okay, though," Remus reminded her gently. She offered him a smile.

"For now. When I get back to the future, they're gonna lose their shit."

"We'll help," Sirius assured her. "You said we were there when you left. We'll help assure them you're not evil."

Xx

It was the middle of November before Adelaide saw Regulus again. He missed a lot of school along with the others she knew were Death Eaters and as much as she knew it was ridiculous, she worried for his education.

"There are a million more important things to be concerned about," he laughed, tugging at her hair. She rolled her eyes. He was laughing at her, but the comfort of being in his arms made her decide she didn't care.

"But it'll be hard enough getting you declared alive in the future, not to mention enrolled in school!"

He shook his head at her and cupped her face with his hands, pulling her in for a kiss. She melted in his arms, feeling safer and happier than she had in a long time.

"I have something for you."

"Oh?"

He nodded and leaned over, digging in his jacket pocket. She watched curiously, but he turned to raise an eyebrow at her. "Close your eyes."

"I hate surprises."

"Close your eyes."

She grumbled at him but did as he requested. He shifted until he sat up again and looked at her. A soft kiss was pressed to her cheek, prompting a smile.

"Okay, open."

She opened her eyes and felt all the air sucked out of her lungs. "Reg."

"Not now," he assured her. "When we get to the future, okay?"

She stared at the beautiful ring he held up to her with wide eyes. It was a gorgeous mix of rubies and green sapphires in a small golden band. "Where did you get that?"

"It was actually one of Dorea's heirlooms," he admitted. "She sent it to me. It's a Black ring but a perfect mix of Slytherin and Gryffindor, just like you. Like us."

A small sob built up in her chest and she leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips, nodding at the same time. "I love you."

He let out a small laugh. "Is that a yes?"

"Yes."

He put the ring on her finger and watched as it resized itself to fit her. It was the perfect mix of elegant and subtle. With it on her hand, he raised his wand and put a modified Notice-Me-Not charm on it so that only their friends would recognize it was there.

"You definitely can't die now," she whispered, leaning back to rest against his chest. He laughed softly and she shivered, treasuring the moment they were in and wishing it could last forever.

Xx

The Potters skipped the New Years' Ball that year. Charlus said it was too dangerous, and everyone agreed. Putting that many influential people together in a time of war was like begging for an attack.

The break was spent quietly. It was hard for anyone to focus on relaxing or their homework when reports of raids or murders were coming in constantly. Order meetings happened every other day, and Adelaide attended them with Charlus and Dorea.

James, Sirius, and Remus were all desperate to join, as well as Lily, whose fear had turned into rage. It truthfully wasn't surprising when invitations were sent home for the four of them to join the Order as soon as they graduated. Still, Adelaide wished that they could have just a little more time than that.

The rest of the school year was filled with homework, finals, career advice, and attacks. The school was split with the political divide and it was difficult to feel safe there with the rising number of Death Eaters. Most of Slytherin, unfortunately, were Death Eaters, as well as nearly half of Ravenclaw.

Graduation came before the rest of school let out, and it was an emotional day for everyone. Lily and Remus had no parents to support them, and Petunia had refused to attend. Charlus and Dorea came to support all of their children - James, Sirius, Adelaide, Remus, and Lily. The graduation itself was quiet and went well, and when it was over, they all returned to Potter Manor to celebrate.

It was a bit of a shock to Adelaide, truthfully, for the simple fact that she had never been sure if she'd ever graduate. During her year on the run, a large part of her had expected to die, which meant she'd never be able to finish her education. Still, there she was, graduated and with her diploma, which meant that she could pursue her career in the ministry someday.

The next year was filled with war. They fought nearly every day. James and Sirius joined the Aurors and were trained by Moody. Adelaide had no official training but was invited on nearly every raid that occurred.

Planning a wedding during a war was difficult, but Lily was determined, and James just wanted to be married to her. No one blamed them, really. It felt a little bit like the end of the world, and rushed weddings were becoming commonplace.

It was the summer of 1978 when they finally got married. They'd taken a year to plan it, simply for the fact that they wanted to wait until James had finished his rushed Auror training.

Adelaide sat in Lily's room watching Marlene put Lily's hair up in a masterful braid updo that Adelaide could never have imagined doing. The bride was already in her dress and they'd done her makeup first, leaving it soft and natural.

"I can't go up there without a something borrowed," Lily was telling them in a panic. "I don't have a something borrowed!"

"Lils, calm down," Adelaide begged. "Give me a minute, okay? I have the perfect thing for you."

"Addy-,"

"Two minutes," she promised, rushing out of the room. The wedding was being held at Potter Manor in the garden, which Adelaide was extremely grateful for. She ran down the hall and opened her door to look through her jewelry box. She'd taken off the locket Aberforth had given her years before since it didn't go with her dress. She still couldn't get it open and the man refused to explain it to her. She plucked it out of the box and ran back to find Lily pacing in her room. "Hey, relax, okay? It's all good. I got something for you."

"Really?" Lily looked at her with hopeful eyes. Adelaide nodded and stood behind Lily to put the locket on the girl. It fell perfectly above the neckline of her dress, and Lily breathed out in relief. "Are you sure? You barely ever take this off."

"Yeah," she nodded. "In fact, keep it."

"Adelaide-,"

"We should get downstairs," she interrupted, making Marlene laugh a little. "We're already five minutes late."

"Okay," Lily took in a deep breath and followed her friends out of the room and down the stairs. The guests were already seated and the wedding party was just waiting for them.

"Are we all good?" Dorea asked, smiling down at her soon to be daughter in law.

"Good and nervous," Lily said with a small smile.

"Okay," Marlene grabbed Remus's arm. "Let's go."

The music started and the pair walked down the aisle. There were flowers lining everything and charms to make flowers rain down above them without actually falling on them. The entire place was beautiful, and the wedding mostly consisted of muggle things, though the vows and ceremony itself was magical.

After Marlene and Remus was Alice and Peter, and then finally, Adelaide, who took Sirius's arm with a smile. He kissed the side of her head, sensing her nerves, and walked with her down the aisle until they separated and went to stand by James and where Lily would be.

Finally, Lily walked down the aisle with Charlus on one arm and Dorea on the other. It was a beautiful sight, and even Sirius teared up a little bit. When they reached the altar, Lily received a kiss on the cheek from both Charlus and Dorea before they released her and she took her place next to James, who was definitely crying at the sight of her.

"You're beautiful," he whispered. She smiled at him and sucked in a deep breath to keep the tears from falling.

"We are gathered here today to bond James Charlus Potter and Lily Elizabeth Evans in love and comfort for all their lives," Alphard said. They'd spent weeks trying to find someone to bind them before finally realizing that Alphard had gone through the training years ago. "James, do you promise to offer Lily your magic when she is in need?"

"I do."

"Do you promise to love her for all eternity?"

"I do."

"Do you promise to compromise and care for all your lives?"

"I do."

A blue light wrapped around his left ring finger and Alphard turned to Lily.

"Lily, do you promise to offer James your magic when he is in need?"

"I do."

"Do you promise to love him for all eternity?"

"I do."

"Do you promise to compromise and care for all your lives?"

"I do."

The same light wrapped around Lily's left-hand ring finger and then extended to meet James's light. The ceremony was short and simple, just as they'd wanted it. Lines appeared on their fingers as the light disappeared. Still, Alphard looked to Sirius and Adelaide.

"Now the ring ceremony," he said. Adelaide pulled the thin silver ring from the small pocket on her dress and handed it to James while Sirius handed the other ring to Lily.

The ring ceremony was even shorter and when the rings were placed, Alphard smiled out at the small crowd that had gathered.

"I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. James and Lily Potter!"

Xx

Life continued on after that, though there was much less to distract everyone from the dark times around them. James and Lily, to Adelaide's surprise, continued to live in Potter Manor, though this time in the same room. No one had moved out yet as no one had any issues living there.

Contact with Regulus, Avery, and Severus was limited and rare, though Adelaide knew they ran into one another regularly at raids. It was stressful to fight worrying that she'd just taken down someone she loved. Still, there was nothing she could do about it.

To Adelaide's extreme discomfort, it happened on May 2nd, 1979. Her ring lit up and she saw a message from Regulus.

_It's time. Meet me at the cave._

So, she did. She left immediately and met him there, her heart racing. He pulled her into a tight hug and she breathed him in, wishing for the first time that they had more time.

"Let's go," he said after pulling away. She slipped her hand into his and nodded, following him into the cave. It was dark and hard to be back, especially since she knew what would happen. Their hands fell apart and she stopped him.

"Please," she frowned. "Let me do this."

"Addy-,"

"Regulus," she stared at him. "Please. It's the least I can do." When he didn't argue again, she cut her palm open and pressed it painfully against the rocks. After a minute, they slid apart, revealing the terrifying room of Inferi infested waters. She let him heal her hand up before she Apparated them over to the small island in the middle of the water.

"You know you have to make me drink all of it," he told her. She nodded quietly and watched as he grabbed the cup and put it to his lips, drinking it down.

The sound of his cries was devastating. She shoved the cup to his lips again and he drank it down with effort, though he shoved it away from him when he was done.

"No, don't make me," he begged. She felt tears well up as she kept going, pushing the potion down his throat. After that, the begging stopped and to her horror, he only shook violently and cried. Still, she kept going, kept making him drink the potion until it was all gone. With that done, she grabbed the locket and gasped at the familiar darkness.

"Kreacher!" she called. "Regulus needs your help."

Kreacher appeared in the cave and dropped to the ground next to Regulus. "Master has taken the potion!"

"That's right," she nodded quickly. "He needs to get to Potter Manor. There's help waiting for him there."

"But-,"

Adelaide sucked in a breath. "Kreacher, I am bonded to your master. I order you to take us to Potter Manor."

Kreacher narrowed his eyes at her but grabbed her wrist and took them to the basement of Potter Manor. Once there, she dropped the locket to the floor, unwilling to hold it any longer.

"Miffy!" she called. The elf popped in with the antidote she'd spent years creating and set to work healing Regulus while Adelaide addressed Kreacher again. "Okay. Things are a bit complicated, Kreacher. I need you to take this locket and hide it away, okay? Someday I'm going to find you and ask about this locket, and you need to tell me that Regulus told you to destroy it. I need you to tell me and the entire Black family that he died, okay?"

"But Master is-,"

"I know," she agreed. "But if we don't do this, he really will die, okay? Can you do this for me?"

"Yes, Mistress."

She made a face as she handed over the locket and watched him pop away, leaving her with a newly healed Regulus. Miffy had left the last potion next to his still body, and she sighed, picking it up.

"I'll see you in twenty years, Reg."

She tilted his head back and poured the perfectly brewed potion down his throat. Her hand went to his neck and she felt his pulse weaken until finally, it was so weak that it was unrecognizable.

Before she could even process what had happened, a stag ran into the room, the white wispy light following behind it.

_Attack on Hogsmeade. Get here quick, we're having a hard time… shit, hurry, Addy._

With a deep breath, she stood and Apparated straight out of the Manor and to Hogsmeade where she put up a shield and took in the sight in front of her. A building was on fire and barely being contained by about ten Aurors, two of whom she recognized to be Sirius and James. There were Death Eaters all over the place wrecking havoc. She jumped into the battle, engaging a Death Eater trying to destroy what seemed to be an empty building.

They were well matched, but she got the distinct feeling he was holding back. She pressed forward and fought harder, managing to hit him with a small cutting hex that nearly missed. He pushed her back against a wall and threw a bombarda next to her. The wall collapsed and she felt glass and brick cut into her. He moved uncomfortably close before she could unbury herself and kneeled down.

"_Go_," he hissed. "Leave!"

She stared, recognizing his voice. "Are you sure it's a good-,"

"Go!"

With a curse, she pressed her wand to the device on her neck and sent herself away.

Xx


	9. Chapter 8

Xx

Severus stood with Avery and rubbed his face tiredly. "It was either tell her to go or risk her being captured again and possibly killed. We knew this would happen."

"I'm not blaming you," Avery scowled, healing the burn mark on his arm. "I'm just saying, he definitely noticed. I saw him heading for her and then he just stopped and looked sick."

"Well there's nothing we can do about it," Severus muttered, throwing his Death Eater robes to the ground angrily. "She's gone."

Avery sighed. "When was the last time you saw her outside of battle?"

"A year. Maybe more."

"Well, I'm out of here."

"_What_?"

Avery pulled his makeshift time turner from under his shirt. "I never wanted to be a part of this. I did it because it upheld the future, just like you're doing. My part is over. She told me the dates. I'm not seen after today."

"Fucking great," Severus sighed tiredly. "Leave me alone with the Carrows."

Avery shrugged. "I'm sorry but this really is the last time anyone knows about me according to her, and you know us."

"We listen to everything she says," he agreed softly. "Okay."

Without any sort of real goodbye - because neither boy cared for it - Avery tapped his wand to the glass and disappeared in a bright light.

Xx

"Where is Miss Snape?" Dumbledore asked, looking to her friends. "She had important information for this meeting-,"

"She's gone," Sirius interrupted sharply. Lily rubbed his arm quietly, though tears could be seen in her eyes as well. James wasn't much better and neither was Remus, who was without a beta with Adelaide gone. "She's gone, she- the raid on Hogsmeade. She got blown into a wall."

"I am very sorry to hear that," Dumbledore bowed his head. "If you need to take some time, I'm sure-,"

"Fuck no," James snapped, surprising everyone. With all eyes on him, he took a moment to compose himself. "We're not going to stop fighting as hard just because she's gone. She'd be…"

"Furious," Lily agreed softly. "She'd never forgive us for giving up because of her."

"Well I think that's bullshit," Sirius growled. "She never wanted us to fight. She _hated_ that fucking Snape and Avery and Reg were sucked into it and she threw a goddamn fit when we joined the Order. She didn't fucking want this for us, James."

Moody grunted. "You can have two days off, Black, but no more."

"Whatever."

Xx

Severus sank to the floor, his back against the door. He had been so sure that nothing could make him despise his sister, his dear sister, but she'd known better. She'd _known_. She had fucking known.

He threw the whiskey bottle across the room and watched with angry satisfaction when it broke against the wall, the amber liquid spilling across the wall and floor.

Lily was dead.

Lily was dead and he'd never made up with her.

Lily was dead and he'd never made up with her because she'd never forgiven him for doing what Adelaide had told him he had to do.

As much as he knew it wasn't her fault, he did blame his sister. She'd _known_. She'd broken down over it and he'd brushed it off in favor of comforting her. He'd never wanted to wonder what horrible thing could happen in his life to make him hate her, but he knew then.

But… he didn't hate her.

He could never hate her. He hated himself for listening, for not fighting, for doing everything he was pushed to do, but he hated himself for nothing more than giving Voldemort that prophecy.

Dumbledore had taken him in, of course, all too willing to twist his guilt and anger and loss into something useful. He didn't care. He had gone to Dumbledore and said all the words the old man would want to hear in order to forgive him. He'd gone to Dumbledore because, again, Adelaide had told him he'd work there.

He had to work there. He would do it. He would always do everything she'd told him because it was the best way to get her back safely. If there was one thing he knew, it was that he couldn't handle losing her as well as Lily. As much as Adelaide _was_ his sister, Lily had _felt_ like his sister. She'd been his first friend and loved him so fully that it had hurt.

He'd do what he was told, of course, because there was nothing else to do.

Xx

Severus counted himself lucky.

While the first years filed in for their Sorting ceremony, he had a vantage point at the head table. He wasn't the one that had to Sort the students. His eyes first fell on a familiar mess of black hair. Harry Potter. When the boy looked at him, he felt a horrible pain fill his chest. He had Lily's eyes.

And then he kept searching the crowd. He found Draco easily. He was standing between Crabbe and Goyle, sneering at some muggleborn boy. It had been a shock to be named Draco's godfather - Leon's godfather. It was almost laughable, but he'd accepted it gratefully and promised himself he'd look after him to the best of his ability. After being pushed into a war he'd wanted no part of, he felt for him.

A head of bushy, brown hair caught his eyes and he froze, the sight startling him. She was very much the same, but so much _lighter_. It had never really occurred to him, when they'd met, how damaged she was. She'd told him, of course, but it hadn't sunk in that she could ever be lighter than that. Seeing her eleven-year-old self proved otherwise and he hated his job just a little more. He knew some of the darkness inside her, at least a little bit, would be his fault.

Xx

Severus stood over her bed and took in a deep breath. He knew she couldn't hear him. She'd been found petrified, something he remembered her mentioning during Christmas one year. He'd forgotten only until Mrs. Norris had been petrified and he knew he was in for another very long year.

"You begged me not to say it until you got back," he began, speaking softly. "But I do not hate you. I was… upset, I will admit, but only because I am so powerless here. You will suffer badly and I cannot do a thing to help you. In fact, you've told me the specific times which I will walk away from you when you are in need.

"It was hard enough fighting you. You came to almost every raid. You must have been exhausted and obviously Potter and Black didn't bother to make sure you were taking care of yourself. When you showed up, I tried to push the worst toward you because I knew you could handle them. Never Dolohov. Avery and I kept him away from you. So did Regulus, but he was rarely sent on raids with Dolohov. Even after you left, no one believed you and Regulus had broken up.

"Avery left the same day you did. I was alone, Addy. I know you never wanted that. I'm sure you hate yourself for it. You certainly think everything is your fault. You were wrong, though. Dolohov did go to Azkaban. Five years. He got out a few months ago. I got pretty drunk that day. I remember… that night, you looked so broken, more than ever before. I really thought one of us was going to kill him. I really thought he was going to kill you.

"And I know that you aren't you," he shook his head, feeling just a little ridiculous. "But I cannot wait until 1998 to tell you that I still love you and that I would like to have my sister back. I know you'll lose a lot but I just hope that the people you did save, Fabian, Gideon, Avery, and Regulus, they can help. Maybe you won't hate me, too. I'm certain Black will be there, somehow. You said he would be, as well as Lupin.

"I'm sorry that I will let you go through all of this, but I hope you know I only did it, will do it, because you told me I needed to. If I could, I'd never let you be hurt. I'm watching out for you, I promise."

And then Severus took in a slow breath and left the infirmary as if he hadn't just poured his heart out to a petrified girl that was certainly not the sister he knew.

Xx

Sirius stood with Harry and hugged the boy tight, looking over his shoulder at Hermione, who was petting Buckbeak gently. She looked so familiar that it hurt him terribly, not just in the way she looked but in the way that she was saving him. When he released his godson, he sucked in a breath and made his way over to her and hopped onto Buckbeak.

"Thank you, Hermione," he said honestly. "I owe you a life debt."

Hermione screwed up her face. "That's ridiculous."

Sirius chuckled softly and winked at her. "For the record, you really are the most brilliant witch I've ever met."

Xx

Remus walked into Grimmauld Place and took the sight in. It looked dark and felt it, too. He shook his head and made his way through to the kitchen where he caught sight of Sirius looking a thousand times better than when he'd seen his old friend just days earlier.

"Holy shit, Padfoot," he cursed. "You cut your hair."

Sirius snorted. "I know how to handle a charm or two, Moony."

"I just mean- you look different," he explained. Sirius nodded and stepped forward to hug his friend tightly.

"I snuck off to an old time loop that does mind healing," he explained. "They used to deal with my family a lot so they were fine with my criminal status."

"So you're…"

"Not fucking insane?" Sirius wondered. "I wouldn't say that. I'm about as good as I was twenty years ago."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Immature and ignoring your brother?"

"Well, yeah. I _could_ see him if I wanted, but I am _choosing_ to ignore the fact that he's not technically dead."

"Why?"

Sirius shrugged. "He'd lose his fucking shit if I woke him up without Adelaide here. You think he could handle waiting another four years for her?"

"No, not after the time they spent apart."

Both men fell into a heavy silence.

"She's so…" Sirius shook his head. "This is hard."

"Try teaching her," Remus agreed tiredly. "My wolf is going crazy. He recognizes her. It's the only reason I didn't kill you, she howled and he recognized her. Er- that's what I pieced together from Harry."

"We've got some long years ahead of us."

"Yep."

Xx

Sirius stared in shock. "I'm _what_?"

"Free," Amelia Bones repeated with a smile. "Right, Minister?"

"Y-yes," Fudge stuttered. "Yes, fine. Excuse me, I just- that was You-Know-Who!"

Sirius felt a numb excitement and thanked the woman, moving away to check on the children. Harry had been taken away by Dumbledore and Sirius knew that as much as he hated it, Harry needed to have the time to put things right in the press. He could mourn later and Sirius would help him through it. He'd gain custody and help his godson the way he always meant to.

Which let him focus on his next top priority.

Hermione was nowhere to be found and he ended up casting his Patronus. It guided him all the way back to the Veil room where he found her standing at the door, staring blankly ahead. She was shaking silently and holding herself tightly.

"Hey, kitten," he called softly as he walked up. She turned quickly and he grabbed her into a hug upon seeing the terrified eyes. "You're okay. It's okay."

"He's- Sirius, he's-,"

"I know," he whispered, rubbing her back. "I know. I'm sorry."

"I thought- I thought she was going to kill you, too," she whispered through the tears that had begun to fall. He held her tighter and she let him. "I couldn't move, it was- I was just… he…"

"Dolohov is…" Sirius trailed off, feeling sick. "We fucked up, Hermione. We should've found you."

"I don't… know what to do."

"Come home with me," he suggested. "I'll have your things sent over. You shouldn't go back to school now."

Hermione nodded quietly and, thankful she'd agreed easily, he led her through the floo and set her up in Regulus's room. Her eyes flicked over the walls and Sirius sat next to her on the bed.

"After James," he said quietly. He hated thinking about the death of his best friend - his brother. Still, she needed to hear it. "Aside from the whole Azkaban thing, it was hard. I felt like I'd failed him because I didn't make it to help him."

"You would've died too," she said softly, curling up into a ball against the wall behind her. He nodded a little.

"I get that now," he assured her. "But not then. Hermione, it's awful to lose someone you love so much, but look at Remus and I. We did it and we're even moderately happy now."

"He's- he _was_ fifteen."

"I get it. A friend of mine died when we were seventeen. Attacked by Death Eaters in the library. She was closer with Lily, really, but it got to all of us. It feels like the end of the world when you realize that… really shitty things can happen to someone as young as you."

"And I know that, I'm just… I'm scared."

Sirius nodded quietly. "You have every right to be scared, kitten, but I swear to you that you'll make it out the other side. Maybe not as okay as before, but you'll make it through this. We both will, and so will Harry, okay? We can have a little misfit family."

Hermione shook her head with a tiny, fond smile. "I'm not your family, Sirius. That's just Harry."

"Ah, sure you are," he said, wrapping an arm around her. "Harry's grandparents collected James's friends when they needed homes or love. In total, there were six of us for a good while. I figure it's my turn. Sorry, kitten, but you can't get out of this."

"Thanks for taking care of me."

"Anytime," he answered honestly.

Xx

"You're going to irritate your injuries," Sirius muttered, gently shoving her back onto the bench. "I'm perfectly capable at making tea, Hermione."

"I don't think I'd agree with that," she shot back, feeling grumpy. "You can't keep me stuck in here forever, Sirius."

"I can keep you in here for as long as your ankle is sprained," he raised an eyebrow. "It'll be another few days before we can take that splint off, so you've got a bit longer stuck with me."

"I don't mind being stuck with you," she sighed, resting her head in her hand. "As a matter of fact, I enjoy your company. I have an issue with being useless, though."

"You're not useless," he disagreed, making his way over to sit down next to her, the bench between his legs so he could look straight at her. "You're obsessively studying these books, even the ones Dumblecunt left for you."

"Stop calling him that," she laughed, rolling her eyes. She didn't particularly disagree with the attitude but rather she disliked the cursing. "I might be studying these books but they're not giving me anything. And with Harry using my wand, I can't even do magic to entertain myself."

He grinned, pecking her cheek. "Then I suppose I'll just have to teach you wandless magic."

"That's ridiculous, only extremely powerful witches and wizards can do wandless magic."

His eyes twinkled with a familiar light that made her wonder what secret he was keeping. "Call me a Seer, but I happen to know you'll be able to do it."

"You can?" she paused, realizing he'd have to know himself to be able to teach her.

He nodded slowly. "One of my best friends growing up taught me."

"A Marauder?"

He let out a loud laugh. "Hell no. She refused to be a Marauder, straight up threatened us if we tried to include her."

"Who was she? Marlene?"

"Ah… no," he shook his head slowly. "Marlene hated me up until my seventh year. That's when we dated, and we dated until she was killed. No, this girl was different. We met in first year on the train. Harry's parents were especially fond of her. She was Lily's maid of honor."

"What happened to her?" Hermione asked gently, placing her head on his shoulder.

"Well…" he shook himself, glancing down at her. "It was war. She was captured a few times, tortured… she didn't have it easy. I think she fought more than James and I put together, which is hard considering we were trained hit wizards during the war."

"But she taught you wandless magic," Hermione said, bringing the point back and hoping to rid him of the sadness in his eyes. It didn't work.

"Yeah. She started after Christmas in fifth year. She was hurt pretty bad. My mother tried to kill her, actually. Bloody woman was psychotic. That was when James's parents really took her in, because Walburga attacked her at their New Year's Eve Ball. Her own father had died and her mother was killed that night by Death Eaters, too, so Mum and Dad happily invited her into our little family."

"Mum and Dad, you mean-,"

"Charlus and Dorea Potter," he nodded. "My own parents were pretty shit, and they took care of me starting first year, but they officially adopted me in sixth year."

"So you're not only Harry's cousin but also… sort of his uncle?"

He let out a laugh. "He used to call me Uncle Paddy."

She grinned back at him. "And you don't want him to call you that now?"

"Hell no," he chuckled. "Sirius is fine with me."

Hermione rolled her eyes, a gentle smile gracing her lips instead of the pout she'd had minutes before.

"Now! For the wandless magic…"

Xx

Sirius was thrown to the floor in a room nearby, and the door was shut behind him, though it didn't mask the sound of the screams and laughing. He sucked in a sharp breath, closing his eyes tightly.

_She'd never told him he'd be there. _

The Snatcher that had tossed him in the room left, shutting the door behind him. Relieved, he struggled against his ropes, letting out a frustrated yelp as they only tightened. Whoever had invented that bloody spell deserved to burn in Fiendfyre. He thrashed around desperately, the sounds of her screams echoing in his head, so familiar that it hurt. He'd never thought he'd hear that again, and yet…

The door slammed open again, and Sirius's breath caught at the sight of Dolohov entering the room. The man had been there when they'd been taken, and he'd been choking Hermione. His fury raged brightly at Dolohov's cocky grin. Dolohov released the ropes but the second he shifted back, he was tied up again.

"She's close," Dolohov laughed. "Nearly there… I'll be waiting for her."

"Stay the fuck away from her," Sirius snapped. "She's not yours. She and Regulus bonded, Dolohov. I don't care what dirty tricks you pulled, she doesn't belong to you."

"We'll see."

Xx

Hermione shifted a little and whimpered in pain, the potions having worn off hours ago. She couldn't take any more for another twelve hours and it left her miserable. She'd tried taking a dreamless sleep but it had done nothing to help her, the pain too intense.

Padfoot lifted his head up and she tried to offer him a comforting smile. Apparently, it didn't work. He shifted back to Sirius and she watched the man move to lay next to her on the bed. She grabbed his hand gratefully.

"What do you wanna hear about?" Sirius asked softly. He'd taken to telling her stories when she was up for it and he had ended up telling her quite a bit about herself - or her future self. He wondered if Adelaide had realized it over the years or if she had been unable to connect the stories to the events.

"Tell me one of your scariest memories," she requested quietly. It was an odd request but he took in a deep breath and considered it. Nothing about death, he knew that. Neither could handle it, not in the thick of the war like they were.

"My friend," he began slowly. "The girl that taught me wandless magic. She was a Slytherin."

Hermione's lips twitched a little. "I thought you hate Slytherins."

"I hate Snape," he corrected. "And Dolohov and Yaxley. There were a few exceptions. This girl, Regulus, Marlene. None of them were evil. I knew why Regulus did the things he did."

"Why don't you say her name?" She wondered softly. "You never do when you mention her."

"It's hard to explain," Sirius frowned. "Let's call her Morgan. It was her middle name, not many people knew it. I found out because I once walked in on Mum scolding her for trying to sneak off to a raid. She got her full name."

"Did she go?"

Sirius let out a laugh. "Fuck no. Dorea terrified us all."

"She was a Slytherin," Hermione said, guiding him back to the story. He nodded a little.

"In our third year, I was reading a book on becoming an animagus. Everyone else was asleep. A patronus showed up and it was her, begging me to meet her and let her into Gryffindor tower. She was terrified. I let her in and she refused to tell me what happened but she was obviously hurt. She didn't want to go back to Slytherin that night, either. We stayed in the common room and slept on the couch together. If I'd known what had happened then, I… don't imagine I'd have been the calming influence I was."

"What happened to her?" She asked quietly. A heavy darkness fell on Sirius's face that surprised her and made her regret asking.

"Someone attacked her using this… very old spell," he told her slowly. "Meant to do horrible things. Inside of it was another old, dark spell. We didn't know about this until fifth year, I believe. The spell latched onto her core and connected her to the attacker, like an artificial and forced soul bond. It meant a lot of really bad things. That man tormented and attacked her… so many times. Fabian Prewett actually took a job at Hogwarts when Dumbledore made excuses not to protect her just so that he could."

"She was close with Fabian Prewett?" Hermione wondered. "He was Molly's brother, right?"

"Yep," Sirius nodded. "She had Fabian and Gideon wrapped around her finger. Just like the rest of us, I suppose. Fabian looked after her until they died in our sixth year. Things got pretty bad for all of us after that."

Hermione stared at him for a minute. "Can I tell you something? Something you _cannot_ tell Harry?"

"Sure, kitten," he agreed curiously. "What's up?"

"I've been friends with Draco since fourth year."

Sirius's mind drifted back to the pale, blonde boy and the way he'd refused to identify them for his dad and Bellatrix. "Is it bothering you?"

"I don't know," she admitted quietly. "I understand logically that he did what was best for us. If he'd firmly said that, no, it wasn't Harry, they probably would have just… killed us. If he _had_ identified him, Riddle would've showed up and we would've died that way. But…"

"By not doing anything, you got hurt," Sirius said softly, understanding. "You blame him."

"No," she said slowly, frowning. "I don't know. I just hate… I hate where we are. I wish he could be with us, safe from Riddle and his father and- and his family."

"You care too much about everyone," Sirius accused, tugging lightly at her hair. She shifted a little, gasping in pain, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm glad you're with us, Sirius."

"Me too, kitten."

Xx

"Do you hear from the others much? From the Order?" Hermione asked, grabbing a piece of bread from the tray and biting into it hungrily.

"The Order's finished," Aberforth scoffed. "You-Know-Who's won. Anyone who says otherwise is kidding themselves."

"Bullshit," Sirius snapped irritably.

"We need to get into Hogwarts tonight," Harry interrupted. "Dumbledore gave us a job to do."

"Did he now? Nice job? Easy?" Aberforth asked, sounding bitter.

"We're hunting Horcruxes," Harry replied sharply. Sirius grabbed a butterbeer and downed it quickly, wiping at his mouth when he was finished. "We think the last one's inside the castle, but we need help getting in."

"Not a job my brother's given you," Abe told him seriously. "It's a suicide mission. Do yourself a favor, boy, go home. Live a little longer."

"Don't underestimate my godson," Sirius told the man. "He's stronger than you think, and he's got us on his side. We can do this, Abe."

Aberforth stared him down, a silent conversation passing between them. "Just because you think you know what happens, doesn't mean you can actually do it, son."

"I have faith in my friends and my family," Sirius raised an eyebrow. "We can do this."

Aberforth shook his head. "At what cost, huh? How many surprises have you come across? Things you were never warned about?"

"Oh, plenty," Sirius rolled his eyes. "But you of all people should know that we have to do this. We can't change things just because we're scared, Aberforth. We both fucking know that."

With pursed lips, he looked up at the portrait of Arianna. "You know what to do." The young girl nodded with a tiny smile and turned around, walking down the path until they could no longer see her.

"Why don't you two go get washed up?" Aberforth suggested to Harry and Hermione before his eyes settled firmly on her and the way she shook. "I've got pain potion in the cupboard in my bathroom. Take it."

"Thank you, sir," she smiled gratefully as she followed Harry out of the room, leaving Sirius alone with the older man.

"Why would you want to deny us passage to Hogwarts?" Sirius asked with a frown.

"Because as well as I know we will win this war, I also know how damaged Adelaide was," Aberforth commented. "I care about her, too. I have no wish to see Hermione become Adelaide."

"Did she tell you I was with her when Bellatrix tortured her?"

Aberforth shrugged. "She said she went on the run with you and Harry, so it was easy to assume."

"You can't prevent it from happening," Sirius told him darkly. "You think I want to see her hurt again? I watched her grow darker the older we got with the war returning and fucking Dolohov. I'm scared of who I'll meet the day she comes back. But we can't prevent her from going, from becoming who she is. She made that very clear. And she showed Reg so many of her memories from the war, I saw it in him. It's real and it has to happen."

"She _came _to me broken," Aberforth scoffed. "I saw it in her that first day and I see it in her right now. Maybe I shouldn't try to stop you but at least I'm doing something."

"I _am_ doing something," Sirius spat angrily. "What the fuck do you think I've been doing? I'm doing everything she told me I'd do. I'm being the friend she needs, the brother I was. You're hiding away and trying to prevent us from ever knowing her."

"Sirius?" Harry called, walking cautiously back into the room. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, pup," he nodded. "Where's Hermione?"

"I'm here," she sighed, finishing a messy braid. Sirius's mind wandered to the tight, neat braids Avery used to give her when they were lounging about, a small smile gracing his lips at the thought. "Are we going or not?"

"He should be here any moment," Aberforth muttered with a glare to Sirius. "Have fun on your suicide mission, but I'm staying out of it."

"That's fine," Hermione raised an eyebrow, throwing her bag over her shoulder as she maintained eye contact with the old man. "We'll go fight for your life then. But don't worry - I'm sure only some of us will die."

Xx

Sirius stared down at the map in his hand and ran at full speed through the castle, fury and terror driving him. When he _finally_ got to the bottom of the stairs, his gut churned at the sight before him. He hit Dolohov with a curse and shoved him off of Hermione, pulling her into his arms in concern. "Shit, it's okay. It's okay, he's unconscious."

Hermione whimpered slightly in pain. "Why does he- why does he keep…?"

"It doesn't matter," he lied, holding her face in his hands. "You're okay."

"I have to- we have to keep going."

"Hermione-,"

"Sirius, please," she begged, looking desperate. Sirius hesitated and then nodded, helping her to her feet to keep fighting.

Xx

"Sirius?"

He looked up at Hermione, who was still shaking. "What's up, kitten?"

"What were you talking about with Aberforth?"

Sirius sighed, looking out at the room of people being healed. "The past. Nothing important."

"Will you tell me something about your past?" she requested. The war was over and they'd been sitting quietly together for hours as people were healed and the castle was put back together.

"You know my brother?"

"Regulus, right?"

He smiled faintly at her. "Right. And you remember that girl I was telling you about?"

"The one that taught you wandless magic? Morgan, right?"

"Yup. They were soulmates. They bonded on accident when she got hurt and he had to heal her. They were… Merlin, they were so in love. You couldn't imagine it. It was almost hard to watch them together."

"I'm glad he got something good," she said genuinely. "He gave his life for this war. He deserved happiness."

Sirius stared at her before wrapping her up in a big hug. Confused, she hugged him back, unsure what brought it on. "You deserve happiness too."

Hermione blinked. "This girl really got under your skin, didn't she?"

"She was my sister," he confirmed. "In many ways. Because she was bonded with Reg, she was my sister. But she also had a close familial bond with the Potters and so did I, making us siblings that way. I might've loved her the same that I loved James."

"I'm sorry she's gone."

"Maybe I'll see her someday," he commented, tugging at her hair. "You never know."

Xx


	10. Chapter 9

**July 31st, 1998**

**The Burrow**

Adelaide landed with a groan and felt the circular glass charm holding the sands of time dig into her chest. Her hair fell in front of her face and she hissed at the effort it took to roll onto her back. When she did, she caught sight of the three men staring down at her in shock. "Severus."

"It's like she didn't even miss us," Sirius complained to Remus, who stared at him.

"She just saw us."

Severus kneeled down and pulled out his wand to begin to heal her. "You only have a few cuts and bruises and a small concussion."

Adelaide ignored his words and his wand and reached up to touch his cheek. "I missed you."

Severus paused and looked into the familiar golden eyes. "I don't hate you."

She felt an unexpected sob build in her chest. "I'm sorry."

"C'mon, heal her," Sirius complained. "You're not the only one that hasn't seen her for twenty fucking years, Snape."

"Don't be rude," Adelaide said, though her words trailed off when she looked at them. "Oh."

"You're fine," Severus told her, putting his wand away. "But you should check with Leon to take care of the other things."

Adelaide gasped and shot to her feet, grabbing onto Severus's arm for support as he followed her up. "I need to go take care of them! Shit, they'll get there any second now."

"Let's go, then," Sirius grinned. She took a moment to look between them, feeling both thrilled to be back and horrified to be gone. She pushed those feelings aside and nodded, grabbing onto Severus and Sirius, looking to Remus.

"Can you gather everyone up? I don't want to interrupt Harry's party, but we should get this out of the way."

"Sure," he smiled softly. "I'm glad your back. _Moony_ is glad you're back."

"Me too."

With that, she Apparated the three of them out of the Burrow and into the Malfoy villa she'd set the makeshift time turners to take them to. To her great relief, no one was there yet.

"So who all is showing up here again?" Sirius wondered, wrapping an arm around her.

"Fab, Gid, Avery, and Draco."

"He's a git."

Adelaide let out a short laugh. "Have you been upset with him for a full twenty years?"

"Yes."

There was a giant flash of light in the room and Severus pulled her back as all four men popped into the room, dropping right where they'd been standing. Sirius, however, had not gotten out of the way in time and was taken down with the rest of them, something Adelaide couldn't help but laugh at.

The first to untangle themselves was Avery, who looked around and took Sirius's spot to her right where he watched everyone slowly get to their feet. Draco separated from them quickly. Apparently, he'd removed all of the spells and potions before leaving, because he looked like himself again.

"That was _rude_," Sirius muttered with a pout.

"Is everyone okay?" Adelaide asked, looking over them. She was surprised to find Fabian and Gideon were fine and without a scratch on them.

"Yep," the twins said together.

"I'm fine," Draco scowled when she looked at him in concern.

"I left the same day as you," Avery told her easily. "I healed myself up first."

"Great," she breathed, hesitating. "I don't really want to deal with this. Do you think we could just, like, stay here forever?"

"Why? I thought you were excited to see everyone," Sirius frowned. She nodded a little and glanced at her left arm. He followed her gaze and nodded. "Ah, I see. I promise we won't let them hex you or anything."

"Thanks, very comforting."

"What's wrong with your arm?" Draco asked her with a frown. She hesitated and pushed her sleeve up to reveal her dark mark. "_Shit_."

"Fuck," Gideon said loudly. "How the fuck did you-,"

"Honestly, I'd rather not explain it twice," she told them tiredly. "It was a shitty day, and-," she stopped, her eyes landing on Draco. "Is this place warded?"

"I don't think so, wards are usually set when someone starts living there. Why?"

"_Fuck_, we need to go," she winced. "Sirius, help me get everyone back to the Burrow. I need to- I have to go."

"Go ahead," he nodded. He knew why she was so desparate to get behind wards, so he shooed her away. She grabbed onto Severus and Avery and Apparated into Ginny's room, breathing out a sigh of relief when they got there.

"What's the plan?" Avery asked her. She looked him over and laughed softly.

"Get you out of those robes before anything else. Give me a minute, I'll go find something you can wear."

"I can do it," Severus told her. She shook her head.

"Stay here with him. I'll just be a moment. I won't let anyone see me, I promise."

Adelaide rushed out of the room, closing the door behind her, and ran down to the first floor to find Bill. She ducked behind a corner when Gabrielle walked into the kitchen and waited. As soon as the girl was gone, she stepped out, grabbed Bill's wrist, and tugged him back into the living room. He cursed as he stumbled and caught himself on the couch.

"Shit- _Hermione_?"

"Hey," she smiled softly. It really was nice to see him again. She'd missed him. "I need to borrow some clothes."

He looked at her torn robes. "No offense, but I don't think I'm your size. What happened? Are you okay? What the hell is with your-,"

"The hair and eyes?" she shrugged. "I'll explain later. The clothes aren't for me, though I _should_ change. That's a good point. No, I just think you're the closest size to him."

"To _who_?"

"Will you just get some clothes?" she asked tiredly. "We'll be up in Ginny's room."

"I- yeah, okay," he shook his head, confused. "Just a minute."

"Thanks," she smiled brightly and left him in the living room, confused. She made her way back up to Ginny's room and closed the door behind her. "Bill's going to get you some clothes."

"Bill?"

"Weasley," she answered, digging into Ginny's dresser. She pulled out a white tank top and a pair of shorts and moved behind the magical screen that Molly had put in there since Ginny had shared a room with her so often. She tossed her torn robes to the side and pulled on the clothes. "I was going to get something of Harry's for you, but I don't want to go to Grimmauld Place, honestly. I don't feel like dealing with Walburga's bloody portrait yet. I am excited to tell her how I'm going to sully her house, though. That'll be fun."

"Are you _changing_?" Avery asked her with a disbelieving laugh. She walked out from behind the screen and pulled a brush through her hair.

"No, I changed," she answered. "Can you-,"

"Yeah," he shook his head when she came to stand in front of him with her back to him. He took her hair in his hands and began braiding.

"What's your plan?" Severus asked her. She hummed, thinking.

"Explain," she said slowly. "Collect Reg, and then plan."

"Plan."

She shrugged. "I honestly thought I might die there so I wasn't putting much time into planning. My biggest issue is…" she shook her head. "Draco, Sirius, and Kingsley should help with that."

Avery spelled her hair to stay like it was and tapped her shoulder, dropping the braid to let it fall against her back.

"Hey, I've got- Hermione!"

Adelaide threw up a shield quickly to block the stunner Bill sent at Avery. "It's okay! I know what it looks like, Bill, but you need to trust me. Do you trust me?"

He stared at her golden eyes. "I don't understand."

"And I plan to explain," she promised, gently pushing her friend behind her and dropping the shield. "A lot happened."

"You were downstairs five minutes ago with brown hair and eyes that didn't glow and no Death Eaters," he told her. She nodded.

"I know I was," she said, pushing her right arm out to him. "Check the mark."

"Sirius gave you your mark-,"

"On my left arm," she agreed. "Check it."

He waved his wand over it and frowned. "Dumbledore."

"Do you trust me?"

"I do."

"Then don't hex him. He's a good person. Whatever he's done is my fault, not his."

"Addy," Sirius called, running into the room. "Oh, shit. Bill."

"I needed him to bring clothes for Avery," she explained, taking the clothes from Bill and handing them to Avery, shooing him behind the screen to change. "What's up? Is everyone here okay?"

"Yeah, I left them in the front yard," he nodded. "Remus has just about everyone gathered. I was actually coming to tell you that just Bill was missing."

"Who that knows me is here?" she asked softly.

Sirius considered it. "The teachers, Abe is here, us, obviously, Emmaline Vance, Kingsley. I think that's about it."

"Hermione, everyone knows you," Bill sighed, confused.

"I know," she assured him. "Come on, let's go deal with it. Where's Draco?"

"He's with Remus."

Adelaide nodded and, as soon as Avery was done changing, the group made their way downstairs. Everyone had gathered in the backyard, so she brought the twins inside and told them to wait in the kitchen with Avery. Severus and Sirius went out first and she followed nervously.

"I'm sorry, Harry," was the first thing she said. "I would totally wait to do this tomorrow or something, but there is something I need to do as soon as possible."

"Oh shit," Sirius cursed. "Does it hurt?"

"Well, considering it hurt when it was one month and it's been twenty years, yeah," she sighed. "It feels like it's almost been destroyed."

"I don't understand," Harry said when everyone just stared at her. "What did you do to your hair? And your… eyes?"

"I'm getting to that," she waved him off, her eyes searching the crowd to find Aberforth. She narrowed her eyes at him. "You tried to keep us from Hogwarts!"

"I didn't particularly want to aid you in becoming _this_," he scowled. She huffed at him.

"Hermione," Ginny snapped. "What the hell? Are those my clothes?"

"Okay," she sighed. "Okay, fine. Professor McGonagall, do you-,"

"I remember you," the woman answered with a long-suffering sigh. "I thought Albus was joking."

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Harry asked sharply, looking to Sirius.

"It's okay, Pup," he assured his godson. "I know it's confusing, but everyone just needs to stay patient. She just got back."

"Back from _where_?" Molly questioned sharply. "And her eyes- that can't be safe!"

"It's perfectly safe," Adelaide assured her. "Now, at least. God, this would be so much easier with Alphard."

"Bastard died ten years ago," Sirius huffed. "Couldn't bother to live long enough to see you come back."

"Oh no," she gasped. "That'll make everything so much more difficult. God, why'd he have to die?"

"Beats me."

"I remember you," Kingsley realized, getting to his feet with his wand out. "You died. You can't be here."

"No, I didn't- I didn't die. Neither did Reg."

"Sirius, you said-,"

"I know what I said," Sirius made a face. "I was angry and sad and to be fair, she _did_ leave us at that raid. She just didn't die."

"Kingsley, you know what's happening?" Arthur asked. Kingsley shook his head.

"No, I do not. I remember her- Adelaide Snape. She was quite a concern. No one knew if she was light or dark. Dumbledore let her into the Order, though. She died in May of 1979. I remember it clearly because we knew quite a bit less about upcoming raids after that."

"_1979_?" Charlie asked sharply.

"Oh my god," Emmaline nodded quickly. "He's right, you fucking died! Lily was a _wreck_."

"I'm _obviously_ not dead!" Adelaide told them. "Seriously - Sirius, I'll tell Harry _everything_ if you make that joke - I am right here. Kings, what can I do to prove it to you?"

"Let me see your mark."

"Easy," she agreed, making her way over to him. She'd glamoured the dark mark on her arm, so she wasn't as worried about anyone seeing it before she wanted them to. He checked her arm and frowned.

"Dumbledore's signature."

"But Sirius gave her Order mark to her," Molly disagreed. Adelaide switched arms, handing that one to Kingsley.

"Sirius's signature."

"That's impossible!"

"Merlin, Granger, stop fucking with them," Draco snapped irritably. "Just spit it out or I will."

"Fine," she huffed, glaring at her friend. "I would like to make it clear that this is entirely Fred and George's faults."

"We did nothing!"

"I went up to your room."

"...oh."

"And I was wearing a time turner, so when your prank hit my chest, the time turner broke into it and sent me back to the Hog's Head in 1971."

"That's impossible!"

"It's true," Aberforth disagreed. "I gave her over to Sarah Snape and de-aged her. She grew up as Severus's sister, Adelaide."

"Is that why your hair is all… black?" Neville asked her. She nodded.

"Yep. My eyes are golden because the sands of time were absorbed into my core and changed it. There was a whole thing with that but it's unimportant right now."

"How do you expect us to believe you?" Hestia Jones questioned.

"I literally went to school with her," Emmaline scoffed. "She skipped like all of her classes and I think she nearly died saving Black during a Quidditch game once."

"Yeah, that was shit," Adelaide agreed. "But he was going to die and no one else bothered to save him, so I had to."

"Sirius, did she really… is this true?" Harry asked. Sirius nodded with a grin.

"Addy was one of our best friends. Your parents loved her almost as much as I do."

"Oh," Adelaide breathed, her face falling.

"Damn it, Padfoot," Remus cursed, rubbing her arm. "I know it's a lot, Addy, but you've got a lot to do."

"Yeah," she shook herself. "Yeah, I know. Um, so I grew up there. It was hard. And then after my first year, I made a mistake and Draco got pulled back in time as well."

"I'm never touching those fucking galleons again," he informed her. She rolled her eyes at her friend.

"And to think I missed you."

"Leon- er, Draco left before the end of our sixth year. Addy stayed until May of 1979."

"Why'd you leave?" Katie Bell questioned. Adelaide sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"In our seventh year, the Carrows used a friend to trick me into going back to Slytherin common room - I was a Slytherin, get over it - and they took me to Voldemort. He wanted me because, like Kingsley said, no one was sure if I was light or dark."

"But _why_?" Harry asked her, confused.

"Because just as I was friends with your parents, Sirius, and Remus, I was also Severus's sister and close with two other Death Eaters. All three of them joined because I knew they would - they had to do it to uphold time. Obviously, no one knew they were good, so no one knew who I was loyal to. I tried to fake date Remus to convince them-,"

"No, you don't get to gloss over that," Ginny interrupted. "You _dated _him?"

"No," she and Remus said together, equally disgusted. Tonks was laughing openly at the pair.

"I just had to fake date him so everyone didn't think that-,"

"What?"

"You might as well tell them," Severus told her. "They will find out anyway."

"But Ginny will make a big deal out of it," she pouted. He raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed. "Later, I promise."

"Your habit to avoid things that make you uncomfortable is exhausting," he told her. She made a face at him and elbowed his side.

"My point is, it didn't work. The Carrows took me to Voldemort and he told me I'd be getting the Dark Mark whether I wanted it or not."

"I remember that," Kingsley nodded with a frown. "Dorea and Charlus called an Order meeting without Dumbledore's permission and forced him to look for you."

Adelaide smiled softly. "I didn't know that. It makes sense, though, with how intent Dumbledore was on just letting me die."

"He- what?" Molly asked. "Surely you are exaggerating."

Emmaline scoffed loudly. "Literally everyone knew Dolohov wanted to fucking kill her. Dumbledore didn't do shit even when Fabian screamed at him in the middle of the Great Hall. Some of us thought she _was_ dead."

"That was my bad," Adelaide winced. "I was testing my device to take me to the future and I had some… mistakes. I think that was after Gid arrested him, which would mean I was gone for two weeks that time. But yes, Dumbledore didn't give a shit about my safety. He made so many excuses… that's not important. What I'm trying to say is that I was forced to take the mark."

There was a moment of silence as everyone tried to catch sight of it on her arm. She shook herself and removed the glamour to show them.

"Oh my god," Ginny gasped, covering her mouth. "How? Why?"

"It was a shitty day. I was taken to Malfoy Manor and when threatening me didn't work, Voldemort tortured someone I love. That's when I said yes."

"How did you escape?" Bill asked her quietly.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I passed out."

"I can answer that," Sirius spoke up. "My grandfather."

"Oh," she breathed. "Of course, he would know. Suddenly I'm thankful for him digging around in my mind."

"How would Arcturus Black know where you are?" Arthur questioned her.

"Because I made the mistake of showing him a memory, letting him inside my head," she shrugged. "He used old magic to take all the memories I had and all the memories I'd ever have - it's a nasty way of looking into the future and only really powerful Legillimens can do it."

"Get back to the point," Severus suggested. She paused.

"What _was_ my point?"

"Why you left," Remus reminded her.

"Oh, right. So after I took care of the thing I was waiting for, the last thing I had to do before leaving, James called me to a raid. I got there and I guess I was fighting Severus."

"You were particularly impatient," he agreed. "I can usually distract you."

"Well, I was angry," she shrugged. "It had been so long and then I didn't even get the chance to properly say goodbye because of a fucking raid, and-,"

"The point, kitten."

"Right. Sev blasted me into a wall and told me to leave because they were looking for me again," she explained.

"That's certainly incredible, but-,"

"No, there's more," she interrupted. "Just a few more things. I brought some people back with me. Not… not everyone I wish I could've, but… everyone I could."

"_Who_?"

"Um, guys?"

"Merlin, you took your sweet time," Fabian told her as the three walked out together.

"Not like we're waiting to see our sister or anything, Pip."

Adelaide made a face at them. "You try explaining all of this next time!" The brothers both pecked her cheek and walked past her to hug Molly tightly. She gave them a minute, Avery standing behind her cautiously, before interrupting. "Okay, there is a little more. I'm sorry, but this _hurts_ and I'd like to fix it as soon as I can."

"What hurts?" Neville asked her. She waved him off.

"This is - don't fucking hex him or I'll hex you - this is Frederick Avery, one of the Death Eaters that I- Percy!" she shouted, throwing a shield up with one hand and a bobble-head hex at him with the other. "Fuck. He's a friend! He's a good person. Chill."

"Is that it, then?" Kingsley asked her. It was Fabian that let out a laugh.

"Look at her, who is she missing?"

"Black?" Emmaline guessed, earning a few nods.

"Sirius is right there," Harry told the woman in confusion.

"Not _Sirius_," Emmaline laughed. "Regulus."

"Regulus is dead."

Adelaide looked at her friend seriously. "No, he fucking isn't. I wasn't going to let him- let him die in there. I didn't even want to let him take the potion but he refused to let me-,"

"Because of what happened last time," Draco scowled. "Remember that? I'm sure Madame Pomfrey does. _I_ do."

"It wasn't a big deal," she shot back. "I'm fine!"

"You didn't even warn me! You think I would have gone with you if I knew-,"

"That's why I didn't tell you!"

"And you almost died!"

"But I didn't!"

"Merlin, _relax_," Sirius told them both. "That was years ago, even for both of you."

Adelaide glared at Draco. "And because I did that, I made an antidote and it's the reason he isn't fucking dead right now, asshole."

"Yeah, let's get back to the part where you said he isn't dead," Harry agreed. "If he isn't dead, where is he?"

"In Potter Manor," she explained. "And I'll need you to help me get in there because it's under a Death Fidelius. Or it should be."

"It is," Sirius agreed. "It'll be easier with all three of us there. It should open up the wards quicker."

"Why?" Harry wondered.

"Well, I was adopted by your grandparents in my sixth year and Addy had a very strong familial bond with your dad and your grandparents, so it will accept her as a Potter, too. They took care of her for a long time when her and Snape's mother died."

"Oh my god," Adelaide gasped, her hand flying over her mouth as a memory played in her mind. "Sirius! You could've ruined time!"

"_What_?"

"You told me about me!"

"Oh, right. That."

"Black," Severus growled. "You are the most irresponsible person I have ever met."

"Any questions everyone has, I'll be willing to answer later," she told everyone, fingering her braid to calm her down. "But we need to get this done, so…"

"Yeah, let's go," Harry agreed, moving over to them. Adelaide looked to Avery.

"Come with?"

"Sure," he agreed. Her eyes settled on Severus but he shook his head.

"I think I will stay and answer whatever they want to ask me," he explained. She offered him a grateful smile and grabbed onto Avery and sent them away at the same time that Sirius Apparated away with Harry.

They appeared outside the wards at the side of the house. It looked the same as it always had, a sight that was comforting to her.

"What do we do?" Harry wondered. Sirius plucked his wand from his robes.

"We have to cut our palms and let our blood fall on the wards," he explained.

Harry grimaced. "Why do so many things involve pain? Can't magic just be fun?"

Adelaide rolled her eyes at him and cut her palm shoving it forward until she felt her hand lock into the wards, leaving her stuck there. "Shit, this sucks. I can _feel_ it."

Sirius helped Harry cut his palm and then did his own, both men pushing their hands into the wards as well. "It'll only take a couple of minutes."

"So why is he here?" Harry questioned.

"Oh. Because there was no other way to trick the entire Black family into thinking he was dead," she explained. "I'd have just taken him with me, but it was too risky."

"Adelaide-,"

"Just a second, I think it's getting close."

"_Adelaide_," Avery snapped. She looked over and felt her breath catch. He had a shield up and she caught sight of the person she'd been hoping to avoid.

"Shit," she cursed, her heart racing as he moved closer. He was grinning at her and she resisted the urge to Apparate away, mostly because she was stuck in the slowly dismantling wards. "Sirius, he's here."

"Who- oh, _fuck_," he cursed loudly, raising his wand with his free arm. "_Avada_-,"

"No!" Adelaide yelled, shoving his hand down. "He can't! Not until- you don't know what it would do."

"You'd better listen to her," Dolohov called as he finally got close enough to speak to them. "You're finally back, aren't you?"

"What's happening?" Harry asked, his own wand raised despite his confusion.

"I didn't think you were this stupid, Adelaide," Dolohov told her. "Or do you not know how deep our bond runs?"

"It's not a _bond_," she snapped out furiously. "You cursed me. It's just a curse."

"Call it whatever you'd like, Snape," he shook his head, still grinning excitedly. "You can never get rid of me. Why don't you just give in? Come with me. It'll be so much easier on you."

"Get the fuck away from her," Avery called to him. Dolohov raised an eyebrow at him.

"We should've just killed you," he told him. "Let you die with your parents."

"Your mistake, I guess. Don't come near her."

"I heard you," Dolohov confirmed. "And her brother, and the Dark Lord, and the Carrows. The problem is, Avery, I want her."

"Adelaide," Sirius gasped. She looked over in time to see him reach over and shove her hard past the wards. Harry followed her through and they could see Sirius and Avery stand side by side with their wands pointed at Dolohov.

"Inside," she said, her voice shaky. "Let's get inside."

"But they're-,"

"We can't help them."

"Hermione, we help everyone!"

"Not against him," she snapped. When he stared at her angrily, she shook her head. "Fine. Do what you want."

"You're really not going to help them?"

Adelaide responded by twisting on her ankle and Apparating into the basement. "Miffy!"

"Mistress is back," the elf exclaimed.

"Miffy, please go help Sirius and my friends. They'll be outside the wards. Please pop them in here, but don't do anything if it isn't safe to get to them."

"Yes, Mistress!"

With the elf gone, Adelaide dug into her beaded bag and found the potion she was looking for. She pulled Regulus, who looked no different than when she'd left, into her lap and tipped the potion down his throat. It was a few very long seconds before he coughed and his eyes shot open.

"Oh my god," she breathed, stroking his cheek. "It's over. We're done with it, Reg. The war is over."

"We're-," he coughed, pushing himself into a sitting position. "What year is it?"

"1998. We're here, love."

Regulus reached over and grabbed her, kissing her lips hard. She kissed him back, a few tears falling. She could feel their bond snap back into place, once more at full strength and she breathed out in relief. When he released her, he grabbed her face in his hands. "When did you leave?"

"Right after leaving you here," she answered, leaning into the touch. "There was a raid, James called me to it. Severus told me to leave."

"Mistress," Miffy popped back in, distressed. "They be fighting!"

"No," she squeezed her eyes shut. "You can't get to them safely to bring them into the wards? Miffy, I can't go out there."

"Miffy tried."

"Okay," she breathed, casting her patronus. "To Severus and Remus. Harry, Sirius, and Avery are fighting. _He's here_."

"_What_?"

"They're outside the wards. I went inside, but they need backup."

When the silvery grim ran off, Regulus looked at her, his eyes dark. "Addy-,"

"He showed up while we were trying to open the wards," she explained quietly. "He didn't touch me and Sirius shoved me into the wards as soon as they opened up."

"He's really here."

"Yeah."

An eagle patronus flew into the room and she heard the voice of one of the twins, though she wasn't sure which one it was. "We're on our way with them. Stay where you are. We're coming to stay with you while they help capture him."

"We should get upstairs," she told him with a sigh.

"Addy," he said softly. She looked at him, taking in the sight. "I love you."

A small smile graced her lips. "I love you too, Reg."

Xx

When Dolohov finally managed to Apparate away, Sirius let out a furious shout and threw a fiery Bombarda at a group of trees, blowing them up. He turned around, threading his fingers through his hair as he paced. "Fuck! Goddamn it!"

"Sirius," Remus said, grabbing his arm. "Sirius, he's gone. We can't do anything. We should get inside and make sure they're okay."

Sirius didn't reply but he did start moving toward the house, letting everyone follow him. Harry, oblivious to his godfather's burning anger, rushed up to him.

"Why did he- how did he find us?"

Sirius ignored his godson, probably for the first time ever, and threw the door open. When he was met with four wands in his face, he scowled. "He got away."

"_Shit_," Fabian cursed loudly.

"It's fine," Adelaide rolled her eyes at them. "I never expected to catch him."

"He can't just be out there, Adelaide!"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does!" Sirius shouted at her. She met him in the middle of the room instead of letting him stalk over to her. "Do you not remember what he did?"

Adelaide stared at him hard, her voice rising to match his. "Do you think I could _ever_ forget? Of course, I remember! But there's not a fucking thing we can do about it right now so just let it go!"

"I know you don't give a shit about your life, but-,"

"Sirius," Regulus yelled, interrupting him. Sirius's eyes fell on his furious brother for the first time. "_Shut the fuck up_."

"She doesn't care!"

"She does care!" Regulus shouted back. "If you don't remember, _I_ can feel her fucking feelings and you're only making everything worse!"

"It just- he got away, Reg."

"I'm just as furious as you," Regulus told him, taking in a deep breath. "But she's right. We can't do anything about it right now."

Sirius cursed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, Addy. I just-,"

"I know," she assured him. "Me too."

"Are you all done yelling now?" Severus scowled.

"I don't get how he found us," Harry said when no one answered the man. "He got there like… right away."

"You haven't told them," Regulus realized. Adelaide shook her head quietly.

"I couldn't."

"It's okay, Little Lion," he assured her, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "You don't have to right now."

Harry stared at them, his mouth hanging open. "What?"

Remus let out a laugh. "The thing she refused to tell everyone, the reason she and I had to pretend to date? It's because she and Regulus have a soul bond. It was so clear that no one believed they'd really broken up. Obviously, they didn't."

"Hermione is… dating Regulus Black," Harry muttered to himself. "I don't…"

"Harry, why are you so incredulous every time I date someone?" Adelaide asked him with a small laugh. "You were _shocked_ that Viktor asked me out."

"You hate Quidditch!"

"I've told you a million times, Viktor is more than just his career. He actually happens to _enjoy_ learning, unlike you."

"He's three years older than you!"

"Which was a large part of why we didn't continue dating," she rolled her eyes.

"Regulus is older than you."

"I wouldn't expect them to break up anytime soon," Sirius snorted. "They're engaged."

"_What_?"

"Let's go back to the Burrow!" Adelaide suggested, blushing at the look her friend gave her. She grabbed Regulus's arm and popped out of the entry hall, leaving her friends alone and Harry in shock.

Xx


	11. Chapter 10

**July 31st, 1998**

**The Burrow**

Adelaide breathed out a sigh of relief upon landing in the living room. Her quiet moment was interrupted by the people around her.

"Hermione!" Bill exclaimed. "Merlin, we were worried. Is everyone okay?"

"Huh?" she blinked. "Sorry, Bill. Yeah, everyone is fine, just a little pissed off. They'll be here soon, I'm sure. In the meantime, if you could keep Harry away from me, I'd appreciate it."

"_Why_?"

"You can't avoid him," Regulus said with a small laugh. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I avoided you for a solid month. It would've been longer if my stupid brother hadn't decided to meddle with my life."

"You _regret_ talking to me?"

She paused. "No. That might not have been the best example. I just mean to say, I'm great at avoiding people and I _can_ avoid him for as long as I'd like."

"But why?" Bill questioned, looking between the couple.

"Because he has absolutely no tact and is a prat," Adelaide said firmly, tugging Regulus's arm. "If you'll excuse us, we're going to go find Ginny."

"She's bugging Malfoy, I think."

"Oh, great," Adelaide sighed, walking out to the yard with Regulus firmly at her side. Ginny was, in fact, talking to Draco, and they stopped next to the pair.

"Leon-,"

"Draco," Adelaide corrected with a grin. "You can't nag me anymore."

"I suppose not."

"Glad to see you're still in one piece," Draco commented.

"He won't tell me _anything_," Ginny complained to Adelaide. "Everyone ran off after that Patronus. Obviously you're fine. You are fine, right?"

"I'm fine," Adelaide confirmed with a small laugh. "He never touched me. Sirius shoved me past the wards as soon as they opened and I went inside to get Reg."

"Which, I must say, he is just as hot as his brother."

"Oh," Draco winced. "I wouldn't even want to see you experience the damage she will inflict for saying that, Weasley."

Adelaide's lips twitched a little and she pushed down the little bit of jealousy she felt. "She isn't wrong, Draco."

"Hermione!" Harry called, rushing out of the house. "You're _engaged_?"

"For Merlin's sake," Adelaide grumbled when everyone stopped to stare at them. "Sirius has the biggest fucking mouth."

"Her- _Adelaide_," Ginny said slowly. "_Are you engaged_?"

Adelaide lifted her left hand up to show her friend. "Yes, I am."

"_To who_?"

"Me," Regulus spoke up. Ginny narrowed her eyes at him and he looked to Adelaide. "Is she trying to scare me?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Weasley, you'll remember that he was a Death Eater," Draco suggested. "I doubt _you_ could intimidate him. I don't even know if Adelaide could."

"Addy- ah, shit," Sirius cursed as he ran out with everyone else. Avery was the only one that made his way over to them. She didn't blame him - he likely felt extremely uncomfortable with the strangers around.

"You said there was nothing else important," Charlie accused, looking very amused. She shrugged.

"Nothing _immediately_ important," she corrected. "I have a soul bond with Reg, so jumping twenty years into the future really fucking hurt. It stretched our bond nearly to oblivion and I needed to go get him and fix it. Yes, we are engaged."

When there was complete silence, Viktor spoke up. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you," she breathed when everyone else started to echo the sentiment. "Now, not to mess up the party, but I'd like to borrow some people, catch up."

"Of course," Arthur agreed. Adelaide looked around.

"Let's see… Aberforth and all of my boys, I think."

"Who exactly _are_ your boys?" Ginny asked her after a moment.

"They know."

"But we don't."

Rolling her eyes, she answered. "Regulus, obviously. Severus, Sirius, Remus, Avery, Draco, and Fabian and Gideon."

"That's a lot of boys," Ginny laughed.

"It used to be more," Adelaide commented softly.

"Granger, I'm not- I'm not one of your boys," Draco said, making a face at her. She let out a laugh.

"Fine. Aberforth, Draco, and my boys. Happy?"

"...yes."

The group made their way through the floo and over to Potter Manor where they set up in one of the more comfortable sitting rooms. Miffy, excited as ever, brought them tea and snacks and promised to make up all of their rooms as well as guest rooms for those that had never stayed there before.

"That works for me," Sirius decided. "I'm gonna burn Grimmauld Place."

"Sirius," Regulus sighed deeply. "No, you're not."

"Bet. I'll go do it right now."

"_Sirius_," Adelaide exclaimed. "Our things are in there!"

"Fine, I'll get Miffy to move them and _then_ I'll go burn it down."

"Oh, wait," she shook herself. "I forgot. Did you get the family magic?"

"Yes, actually," he looked at her in surprise. "That's what took so long to get back to the Burrow. How'd you know?"

"Arcturus said he'd send it to you to get the scar off my arm," she explained, waving to her mudblood scar. "I didn't get it then. He said family magic could fix it but that it would have to wait until I got back. He knew I'd bond with Reg."

"What happened in your seventh year?" Draco interrupted. She paused to consider him. Since it was just them, she didn't mind explaining the full situation.

"Like I said, the Carrows tricked me. Marlene was being held by them so I had to go. Voldemort tried to use Dolohov to get me to give in. He just hit me with some hexes, Crucio'd me for a bit. I didn't give in, but then… Voldemort tortured Sev."

"Fuck," Draco cursed, letting his head fall back. "That's why you did it. You're a fucking horrible Slytherin."

"I'd have done it for you, too," she snapped. He looked at her with a glare.

"Then it's a good thing that I left when I did."

"Yeah, about that," Sirius spoke up. "Fuck you."

"What?"

"You left without saying goodbye," Remus explained for him. "James was pissed. We never understood."

"He knew," Adelaide told them quietly, a numbness filling her at the reminder of his and Lily's deaths. "He knew he wasn't going to be there for Harry. He asked me during the last ball. He knew he'd never see you again, Draco."

"Shit," Draco cursed. "I just needed to get out of there. I didn't think about that."

"Clearly."

"What I want to know," Adelaide said, looking to the twins. "Is what happened with you guys. You weren't even hurt."

Gideon shrugged. "We held up fine, but you told us it was time to go, so we went."

Adelaide fell silent, looking at the people around her. "I'm… glad you're all alive."

"We're glad _you're_ alive," Fabian told her with a soft smile. "I was terrified to leave you there alone. Did he ever…?"

"No," she shook her head. "Not really. After that time in the common room and at Malfoy Manor, I only ever encountered him during raids. He kept trying to Crucio me and he did quite a few times, but nothing else." Her eyes fell on Sirius, Remus, Severus, and Aberforth. "How were things after we were gone?"

"Shit," Sirius answered her honestly. "James tried to say that you would want us to keep fighting. I called bullshit and Moody gave me a whole two days off."

"I just wanted you guys to be safe," she told him softly, her eyes turning to her brother. "Sev?"

"Avery left as soon as we returned from the raid," he said slowly. "It was harder after that."

"What now?" Avery asked her when they fell silent for a moment. Adelaide looked over all of them, unsure.

"Since we're all fine… I guess we go back to the party," she said slowly. "Prepare for questions, introductions, whatever their reactions are. I assume someone put work into keeping everyone calm?"

"Kingsley," Aberforth confirmed. "They lost their shit after you left."

"Great," she muttered.

"After the party," Avery clarified. "What are your plans?"

Adelaide hummed. "I think before anything else, set something up with Kingsley to ensure you and Reg don't get arrested when we declare us all alive, which we'll do next. I'd also like to find Theo at some point and ask him about his mark- oh! Rodolphus. I promised him."

"He was sent to Azkaban," Draco reminded her. She shrugged.

"So we get him released."

"Kitten, your arm," Sirius reminded her. "We have to take time to heal it."

"Mm," she agreed softly. "I also need to meet with Croaker about- I need to see him since Alphard is gone. Do you know if they kept his research?"

"I imagine so," Sirius agreed slowly. "Why? I thought you two didn't have anything to work on after the time turners."

"We had another project we were working on. We sort of hit a wall, but I think we might be able to figure it out now that the war is over."

"On that note," Gideon spoke up. "What are you going to tell everyone on the Dolohov thing? You didn't really say much aside from that he wants you dead."

Adelaide rested her head on Regulus's shoulder and closed her eyes, considering the question. "Alphard suggested I just tell them he wants me dead. I think for most people, that's what it'll be. But… Harry, your family, Kingsley, maybe even Tonks… I think I need to tell them the truth. I think after Harry's party is over and before I leave wards again by going into public like the ministry. Maybe later tonight."

"I think that's a good idea," Sirius agreed. "Do you wanna hang out here for a bit? I'm sure they'll understand."

"They will not," Adelaide scoffed. "I bet Molly's losing her shit right now. Harry's probably freaking out to Ginny, and she's probably trying to figure out how to get here to interrogate Reg, and- no. No, I think that if we're all good and caught up, we should probably head over and just talk more later."

"I agree," Aberforth nodded. "I'll handle Kingsley's questions for a while. You handle the rest of them."

With that decision made, the group began slowly filtering back to the Burrow with Adelaide Apparating Regulus and Avery there with her first while everyone else took the floo back. She tripped a little and was only spared a fall by Avery grabbing her arm.

"Bodyguards?" Ginny asked, amused. Adelaide finally took a moment to wrap the girl up in a tight hug.

"I missed you," she admitted. "No one else had a… temper quite like mine."

"I don't think it's possible for _anyone_ to have a temper like yours, Little Lion," Regulus spoke up, earning himself a glare.

"You never answered me," Ginny told Adelaide. "Are those my clothes?"

"Oh, yeah," she nodded back. "Sorry, but my clothes were sort of torn because Sev threw me into a goddamn _building_-,"

"_They were going to capture you_," her brother reminded her, stepping through the floo. "Let it _go_, Addy."

"I liked that shirt!" she huffed, shaking her head. "But yeah, I borrowed some clothes."

"You've got a shit ton of scars," Ginny commented, eying her exposed skin. "What the fuck happened to you?" She asked, poking a scar on her hip where the tank top had ridden up. Adelaide smacked her hand away and considered the scar in question as more of her friends entered the room via floo.

"Ah, I think that was from when I Apparated Draco and I into the cave," she hummed, glancing up at Draco. "Think so?"

"It is," he glared at the scar.

"Oh, get over it," she rolled her eyes. "He's alive because we went. Relax."

"Addy, you know _I'm_ still pissed at you for that too, right?" Regulus wondered. She looked to Avery with wide eyes.

"We weren't even friends then, please be on my side."

He hesitated but at her glare, he laughed. "Sure."

"_Avery_," Regulus stared. "She could have died!"

"Sure, but she didn't, and I hate when she looks at me like that," Avery reasoned. "Maybe you're not afraid of your girlfriend but I sure as hell am."

"Aw, you've got a trained Death Eater," Ginny laughed. Sirius, who was the last to come through the floo, let out a loud laugh.

"Ginny, will you marry my godson? I want to be related to you somehow."

"_Speaking of_," Adelaide said loudly, looking out the window. "He's with Charlie and Krum. I think I'm gonna go talk to him."

"I'll come," Avery offered. She nodded her agreement and when Regulus also tried to follow, Ginny grabbed his arm.

"You and I are gonna have a _talk_."

"Addy," Regulus called. Adelaide looked between her friend and her boyfriend and shrugged.

"It's gotta happen sometime, Reg," she reasoned, leaving him behind to be interrogated by Ginny. She and Avery slipped over to the odd trio, who were, apparently, discussing her.

"We can just ask her," Viktor suggested. His English had improved greatly, and it made her smile fondly. He was a brilliant man and she was glad they'd written after fourth year. "Harry wants to know how long you and Regulus have been dating."

"Oh," she blinked, surprised. "Er- it's sort of a tough question?"

"_How_? When did you start dating?" Harry asked her, blinking a little at Avery. She hadn't said much about him, but he seemed rather protective of her, assuming a stance that Harry usually assumed. She also clearly trusted him if the way she hovered close to him said anything.

"Well, in fourth year," she said slowly, frowning. "It's just… it wasn't quite that simple."

"They didn't see each other much after sixth year," Avery filled in. "I don't know how long it had been for him, but when she left, it had been a year and a half since I'd seen her outside of battle."

"Did we fight much?" she wondered. He nodded a little.

"Out of the three of us, I was closest to matching your strength," he explained. "So if Dolohov was around, they'd keep him away from you and I'd fight you while they did it."

"Oh," she blinked. "Thanks."

"Are you gonna explain that?" Harry asked, frowning. "That whole situation… Sirius was _pissed_, Hermione. I've never seen him so angry, not since-."

"Pettigrew," she said softly. "I know. I know, and we'll explain later, I promise. It's just… very personal."

"But how could him wanting to attack you be so personal?"

"It is," Avery said when she hesitated. "And it's a bit of a long story that she doesn't want to get into in front of all of her friends and family."

"Who are you again?" Charlie asked. "Death Eater friend, right?"

"We actually became friends the first time Dolohov… came after me," she explained. "I told him to just let it go."

"I did not," Avery smiled softly. "And since her friends are absolute shit at keeping secrets, she told me she was from the future."

"I did make sure it was okay with Abe first," she shrugged. "And Alphard… why did he have to die? I can't believe he had the gall to up and die ten years before I even came back."

"Alphard?" Harry wondered.

"Alphard Black," she explained. "He worked in the Department of Mysteries. He's the one that helped me figure out how to get back and then helped me _control_ the way to get back when it sent me a full month into the future instead of two minutes like I had planned."

"Where'd you leave your boyfriend?" Charlie wondered, looking around the yard.

"Mm, Ginny," she commented.

"Snape," Harry said in a small panic. Adelaide looked over her shoulder and smiled softly at her brother as he came to stand to her left.

"Hey. How's he doing?"

"Completely unimpressed," Severus answered. "She scares him about as much as any of us do."

"He's only scared of one thing," Avery agreed. "And unless Ginny tries to murder you, he's going to be fine."

"Unless she _what_?" Harry asked, his voice raising an octave.

Adelaide waved him off. "Reg has a habit of… overreacting when he thinks I'm in danger," she looked up at her brother. "So the summer you… left, when Lucas was killed?"

"I remember."

"Yeah, so Draco and I were talking with… Lily…" she shook her head, willing the tears back. "Ah, we were talking about the Imperius and how Crouch Jr taught us to handle it, and long story short, Draco Imperiused me."

"He _what_?" Severus asked sharply, grabbing her hand to show her ring to her. "Are you _stupid_?"

She tugged it back and scowled at him. "God, and to think I've missed you for over a _year_. Yes, we were stupid. I forgot, okay?"

"That you're wearing a ring?" Charlie raised an eyebrow.

"I enchanted this ring and gave another to Regulus," she explained. "If we're in danger, they light up. We can also send messages through them, sort of like the DA coins."

"How?" Viktor wondered curiously. She smiled. He was brilliant, so she knew he'd appreciate it.

"An updated version of the protean charm," she explained. "Mixed with some charms of my own making and one of Severus's. I can show you later if you'd like."

"I'd love that."

"But what happened?" Harry asked her.

"_Well_, I wasn't actually in danger, but-,"

"An Unforgivable would register as danger to any security charm," Avery realized, cringing. "Oh boy."

She nodded. "So Reg was sent with everyone to… for Lucas, and my dumbass tried to fight him. That's when he freaked out a little and yelled at me for letting Draco use the Imperius on me to show Lily. A complete overreaction, which was my point. Once during dinner, Pandora and I left and he freaked the fuck out and followed us and shoved his wand in her face because he thought she was going to hurt me."

"If we're being fair," Avery laughed. "You _do_ have a habit of getting yourself into… difficult situations quite often."

"What, she told you about our lives?" Harry joked. Avery tilted his head.

"No, actually. What happened?"

"_We don't need to get into that_," Adelaide said loudly, glaring at all of them. "We're all fine now!"

"Why is Sirius Black glaring at the back of your head?" Viktor asked with a small laugh. Adelaide turned around and raised an eyebrow at the man in question, who seemed startled to be caught. Remus was openly laughing at his friend, and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not speaking to him until later," she announced. "He's a reckless arsehole who also decided to tell Harry that I'm engaged because he has a big bloody mouth."

"Reckless," Charlie repeated, grinning. "Why?"

Adelaide shared a look with Severus, who looked just as exhausted as she did. "He thought it would be a brilliant idea to, while I was healing at Shell Cottage and then after the final battle, tell me stories. _About me_. He literally told me about one of the worst days of my life! That's so dangerous!"

"_When_?" Severus asked her sharply.

"Um, third year," she answered, gaining nods from Severus and Avery both. "It was _dangerous_."

"But how? I mean, you didn't know it was you, right?" Charlie wondered curiously. She rolled her eyes.

"I mean sure. But if it had clicked any sooner, it could have changed time."

"But it didn't?" Harry asked.

"No."

"It was still incredibly reckless," Severus said sharply. "He could have put her in more danger than she was already in. Even Black knows better than that."

"Relax," she told her brother with a sigh. "It's been so long for you guys, can you just let it go?"

"No."

"Maybe it'll help since I'm here," she suggested. "I know everyone has plenty of a right to be pissed at me, so maybe-,"

"We are not upset with you," Severus interrupted firmly.

"Maybe _you_ aren't, but Harry, Sirius, Remus… the twins, Molly, Avery… everyone has a right to be upset with me, Sev."

"Why would _I_ be upset with you?" Harry asked her. She hesitated, taking in his messy black hair and green eyes.

"Later," Avery interrupted. "A conversation for later, Adelaide."

"Yeah," she shook herself. "Ah, I wanted to see if… maybe I could send them a- or Draco might know?"

"Know _what_?" Charlie asked for all of them. "What are you talking about?"

She looked at everyone and waved them off, suddenly distracted. She turned and made her way over to Draco, Avery jogging after her. "Hey, what happened to Theo and Blaise after the war?"

Draco frowned at her, blinking. "Theo was arrested and pardoned since his only crime was getting the mark. We were at school, so we didn't do much. Blaise was questioned and released. He let Theo stay with him in Zabini Manor since Nott Manor is still being searched like Malfoy Manor."

Adelaide nodded a little. "Thanks."

"Why-,"

She walked back to the house, still ignoring Avery and now Draco as they followed her to the floo.

"Adelaide!" Avery exclaimed. She barely glanced at him, focused on what she needed to do, before she threw down the floo power.

"Zabini Manor!"

She caught herself, careful not to fall out of the floo. She'd arrived in a large, open space that seemed to be separated into multiple rooms. There was a kitchen, a large sitting room, and where she'd come out - the greeting room. To her relief, she saw both boys jump up in surprise and stop. They were sitting in the kitchen eating what seemed to be their dinner, and she smiled at them. "Sorry for intruding, I just need a favor."

"_Granger_?" Blaise asked, looking her over. "The fuck happened to you?"

The floo flashed and she jumped out. She slipped on the floo power that she dropped on the floor and, once more, Avery grabbed her to stop her from falling.

"Thanks, love," she smiled at him, looking back to the boys. "Ah, sorry about him. I didn't really mean for him to follow me. But I need to borrow you, there's some really important-,"

"_Is that a fucking dark mark_?"

Adelaide glanced down at her arm to see that she'd never covered her mark or her scars again. She cringed and looked back up to find their wands out and Avery's wand out as well, holding a shield in front of them. "I thought I covered that back up."

"You were busy," Avery reasoned. "Tell me why you felt you had to come find them _now_?"

"Where's Draco? I figured if you came, he'd be right after."

"I closed the floo," he told her with a smile. "Your tempers don't need to clash right now, Addy. That's something I didn't miss."

"Mm," she nodded, her eyes falling back on Theo and Blaise, who were on edge still. "Ah, sorry. I know I look different, and yes, I do have Voldemort's mark, but not because… I wanted it. It's a long story."

"He's _dead_, Granger. You were there," Theo reminded her hesitantly. "You didn't have that."

"I know," she agreed, nodding. "I know. Can you just lower your wands and I'll explain? I think Avery's gonna lose his mind if someone tries to curse me."

"Because your stupid boyfriend will kill me if someone curses you," Avery reasoned. "He's rather dangerous when he wants to be."

Adelaide rolled her eyes. "He's not that bad. I could take him."

"_I_ couldn't," he reminded her. "Because then _you_ would hurt me."

"Oh, you may have a point."

"Granger," Blaise said sharply. "No offense, but tell us what the fuck is happening or get out of my house."

"Okay," she sighed. "Can I come over there without being hexed?"

"Sure, but don't try for your wand," Theo told her. "No offense, but I don't trust you right now."

"Understandable," she agreed, glancing at Avery. "Stay here."

"Adelaide-,"

"Stay here," she said again, this time more firmly. "I'll be fine. They're good people."

"They're Death Eaters."

"Blaise isn't and to be fair, so are you, and you're a good person. I went to school with them, Avery. They weren't like Draco or- or his other friends, okay?"

"If you get hurt, he's going to kill me."

Adelaide glanced at her old classmates. "Hey, promise not to hex me unless I try to hurt you first?"

"We promise," Theo agreed, watching them curiously. Both had obviously caught onto their curious words but like the Slytherins they were, they said nothing yet.

"See?"

"Merlin," Avery sighed. "Fine. _You_ get to explain this situation to him."

She shrugged as she made her way over to Theo and Blaise, glancing back at her friend. "He's still gonna be pissed at you, too. You should've just stayed back."

Avery groaned, and she laughed.

"What's going on, Granger?" Blaise asked her when she stood across the counter from them. She lifted both of her arms and reached out slowly.

"I have two Order marks," she explained. "But I joined the Order after Dumbledore died, right?"

"It was… well known he refused anyone underage into the Order," Theo agreed slowly. Blaise reached out and waved his wand over the marks.

"Sirius Black," he said first before checking the second one. "And… Dumbledore."

Adelaide nodded. "And you know I didn't have the dark mark at the final battle."

"The Dark Lord would kill you before he made you a Death Eater," Theo said softly, eyeing the mark on her arm. "How did this happen?"

"Time travel," she answered simply. "It was an accident. I had a time turner on my neck and one of Fred and George's pranks hit me and broke it. I was sent back to 1971."

"Impossible," Theo muttered, sitting down. He looked somewhat overwhelmed and she didn't really blame him.

"It's true. That's why my eyes are all… golden," she shrugged. "The time turner broke into my chest and the sands entered my core. It was actually quite dangerous."

"How the hell are we supposed to believe that?" Blaise asked her, raising his wand a little higher.

"Kinda wish Draco was here now," she admitted. "I was de-aged and placed with Snape. I was his sister, Adelaide Snape. And then before our second year, there was an accident and Draco was pulled to the past, too."

"You haven't given us a reason to believe you," Theo told her with a frown. She hummed, considering it.

"I've got Veritaserum in my bag," she said, nodding at the beaded bag on her shoulder. "We can use that."

"Addy-,"

"It's fine," she promised her friend. "This is important, Avery. I need their help and you will, too. So will Severus."

"Give me the bag," Blaise said. Adelaide hesitated but eventually handed it over carefully. He opened it and summoned the potion in question.

"Test it," Theo suggested. Blaise frowned and nodded, handing it over to his friend. After giving him a single drop of the potion, Theo hummed. "What was the first thing you said to Draco upon getting to school in first year?"

Blaise narrowed his eyes but was unable to resist the potion. "'You have pretty eyes.'"

"Merlin," Theo snorted. "_That's_ why we avoided him for two years?"

"It works," Blaise grumbled, moving over to Adelaide, who frowned.

"What questions will you ask?"

"Nothing too personal," he assured her. "I just wanna make sure you're not lying."

Adelaide looked at Avery nervously and he shook his head. As much as she agreed with him, she also had a feeling they wouldn't trust her with set questions, so she nodded a little. Blaise tipped out four drops onto her tongue and she shivered at the feeling.

"Okay, tell me your name."

"Adelaide Morgan Snape," she answered easily. "It used to be Hermione Jean Granger."

Theo and Blaise exchanged a glance and Theo asked the next question. "Did you go to the past?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I spent eight years there."

"Tell us about becoming a Death Eater."

"I was a Slytherin," she began slowly, feeling the urge to tell them the entire story. "I had moved to a private room because it was too dangerous in the dungeons with- with Dolohov, but my friend sent me a message. The Carrows had her, they were looking for me. I went and they took me to Voldemort. No one knew if I was light or dark because of the varying company I kept, but Voldemort wanted me. I tried to- to say no, but he insisted. He threatened me with Dolohov first, but luckily he just tortured me a little. Then… he tortured Severus, so I did it. I killed a muggle and passed out while he was giving me the mark."

"Fuck," Blaise cursed softly. "_Merlin_, what could be worse than bloody torture?"

"_No_," Avery shouted angrily. He waved his wand at Adelaide as she began to speak and threw up a privacy ward, quickly shielding himself after when both boys tried to hex him. She was still speaking, though none of them could hear her. Despite the wands pointed at him, Avery made his way over to her. She grabbed his hand tightly within her own, and it was hard to look at the pain on her face.

"What the fuck?" Blaise asked sharply. "I didn't mean to, but-,"

"I don't give a fuck what she needs from you two," he told them sharply. "She's under the influence of Veritaserum and she would _never_ share that, not even with her best friend. Take more care when asking questions or you will ask nothing more."

"We're sorry," Theo said softly. Adelaide had fallen silent at that point, but she was tense and breathing quickly. Avery waved his wand to lower the ward for her.

"Thank you," she said softly to her friend. "Maybe this wasn't a good idea. Maybe I should have found someone else."

"He didn't actually mean to ask," Theo told her slowly. "It was an accident."

"I know," she said softly. "I think it's worn off now. If you guys don't believe me, I don't think there's much else I can or want to do to prove it."

"We believe you," Blaise said softly. "We just have… questions."

"You can do this another time," Avery reminded her carefully. She shook her head.

"Might as well do it now," she said. "What questions?"

"First… who is he?" Blaise asked, nodding at Avery. "You called him Avery, but he's been dead for years."

"Not dead, just… missing," she shrugged. "He left the same raid that I did and using the same time travel means that I did."

"How _did_ you get back?" Theo asked curiously. She smiled softly and raised her hand to slice off a small piece of her hair. It fell into her other hand and she showed it to them.

"The time turner changed me. These are the sands of time, and Alphard Black and I worked very hard to make our own sort of time turners, just with a lot fewer restrictions. I made one for me, Draco, Avery, and Fabian and Gideon Prewett."

"So they're all… here, in our time?" Blaise asked, surprised. "The Prewett's deaths were widely covered. Proof that the Death Eaters were stronger than everyone thought."

Adelaide made a face. "Really? That's disgusting. No, they weren't even hurt. They just left because I told them that was when they were supposed to die."

"Did you… change anything?"

"No," she shook her head. "Time isn't exactly what we thought. It can't really be changed. I went back because I'd already gone back. Because I was supposed to go back. Avery lived because he already had, because he was supposed to. They all did. I couldn't have changed anything. It could have changed way more than I meant to."

"Merlin," Blaise shook his head and let out a laugh. "That's fucking wild."

Theo rolled his eyes at his friend. "What do you need us for?"

"Ah," she nodded. "Around the end of third year, Draco… was different. Darker. He and I- we've actually been friends since our fourth year at the Yule Ball."

"We know," Blaise rolled his eyes. "He's not that great at keeping secrets, Granger. _We_ kept it from Crabbe and Goyle."

Adelaide stared for a moment, doing her best to keep calm. After being forced to go on about the things Dolohov had done, regardless of whether or not they'd heard her, she was shaky and already feeling sick. "Um… right."

"Draco broke her wrist," Avery continued, eyeing her. She was shaking and thought he thought she hadn't noticed yet, he knew Blaise and Theo had. "And gave her a concussion. That was at the end of third year. During that summer, she tried to help him. I became a Death Eater that summer, so she came to me and some others to learn more about it. The mark was poisoning Draco because Riddle put a small piece of his soul in each mark, sort of like a Horcrux but not meant to keep him alive. More meant to fuel the mark. By the end of the summer, Draco had- actually, what _did_ he do? You and Severus never really clarified."

"Draco did his best to kill me," she said shortly, unwilling to give anyone specifics, not even Draco himself. "I knew how to help him, but… the issue was finding someone to do it. James told me Dumblecunt could do it and everyone else agreed, so… I asked him for help. He did."

"But _how_? What happened?"

"You should tell them the truth," Avery suggested. At her glare, he sighed. "It wasn't as dangerous for you and Draco. You were in the past where he didn't associate as many people with the war, but here… anyone that is affected like he was, they could do what he did to you."

Adelaide scowled and looked directly at Theo since he was the only one with the mark. "When we showed up at the beginning of fourth year, I went in alone. He choked me, cut my arm, tried to drown me, and cursed me very badly. It would have killed me if we hadn't caught it later."

"Merlin," Theo breathed, his eyes widening. "He cursed you? How?"

She hummed, thinking back. "A curse that changes every spell I cast. It does the opposite. If I try to heal, it does harm. It also fed off my core, which… being the way that my core is, it was dangerous. Since Draco didn't know how to heal it, we had to ask Sirius and Regulus, and only Reg knew how, and then- ugh, it started a whole _thing_, but that's not important."

"I'm sure he'd be glad to know that you consider your soul bond to be a _thing_," Avery said, amused.

"I was terrified, Avery!"

"I remember. You avoided him for an entire month."

"And then you _betrayed _me."

"I did what was best for you, Addy."

"We can _totally_ circle back to this conversation later," Blaise laughed shortly. "But what about the part where Theo's gonna lose his shit on everyone?"

"Oh," Adelaide shook her head. "Well, I need to do tests on it. I think Draco's decaying mark might have been accelerated by his time in the past where Voldemort was still alive. I do know how to take care of it, but it's a little dangerous and I'd have to find somebody who has been trained to do it, and that means setting up an appointment with Croaker aside from the one I have to make for the whole Dolohov thing, and-,"

"What do you mean?" Avery frowned.

"Oh," she blinked. She'd been thinking out loud toward the end of her rambling, which meant she hadn't completely realized she'd spoken out loud. "Oh, right. It's nothing. It's what Alphard and I were working on."

"He thinks there's a way to fix it?"

She shrugged helplessly. "He thought so. Since we had a familial bond, he tried to overpower it, but it wasn't powerful enough. He thinks I need Reg, but since he was kicked out when he touched it, I don't know that it'll work."

"What are you _talking_ about?" Blaise asked, looking between them bemused.

"Nothing," they said together.

"Yeah, that definitely seems like nothing."

"How do you fix the mark?" Theo asked, getting them back on subject. Adelaide sighed.

"Dumbledore - Albus, that is - drained his core until he was nearly dead and the core piece released from the mark. When he woke up, he was fine, but he forgot the months in which he was being controlled by the mark. He thought it was still the previous school year. He remembers none of it."

"Merlin," Theo breathed, rubbing his forehead. "Okay. Okay, I'll do… whatever I can."

"We should get back," Avery suggested, casting a _Tempus_. "Draco probably has everyone worked up by now."

Adelaide looked to the boys. "Wanna crash Harry's birthday party?"

"Crash Potter's party?" Blaise asked with a grin. "Fuck yeah."

Xx

Regulus was pacing in front of the fireplace with Draco, Bill, Harry, and Sirius around him.

"Relax," Sirius tried, rubbing his face. "Avery is with her, Reg. She's fine."

"You don't know that," he replied sharply. "Fuck. I should have stayed with her."

"Your ring isn't even lighting up," Draco rolled his eyes. "They went to school with her, Regulus. They won't hurt her unless she tries to hurt them."

"What does she even want with them?" Bill asked, confused. "She seemed pretty content with everyone here, didn't she?"

"She needs Theo's help," Draco explained. "But it could have fucking waited."

There was a loud crack around the room as Adelaide Apparated in. She looked around and rolled her eyes, not saying a word as she went to unlock the floo with the spell Avery had told her.

"Are you okay?" Regulus asked in a hurry as the floo lit up. She found herself being gently grabbed by him. "Don't do that, Addy."

"I'm fine," she promised, pecking his cheek. "I just wanted to get that over with. No one got hurt."

"You're upset," he said softly. "Why?"

"Just a small mistake," she said, stepping back until she only held his hand within her own. Avery had already crossed over and he was quickly followed by the two boys she'd gone to talk to. "Sorry, Harry. I invited them."

"They never hexed me, so I don't care," Harry shrugged. "To be fair, I didn't really invite any of these people. You guys did."

"If you'd had it your way, it would have just been like five of us," Sirius reasoned. Harry nodded quickly.

"Yes! That's what I wanted!"

"Sucks."

Xx


	12. Chapter 11

**August 1st, 1998**

**Potter Manor**

It was just past one in the morning when the group made their way to Potter Manor. Sirius, Regulus, Adelaide, and Harry had all taken a quick trip to Grimmauld Place to grab some of their things. Adelaide had only grabbed some books and a few other personal things. No clothes, mostly because she still had all of her clothes in her room at Potter Manor.

When they got back, Miffy stole their things and they went to meet the rest of their guests in the library, where Adelaide had ordered them all to go. All in all, the library held a large group of Sirius, Regulus, Adelaide, Harry, Remus, Tonks, Avery, Blaise, Theo, Severus, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Ginny, Fabian, Gideon, and Kingsley. Fleur had been invited, along with Percy and the Weasley parents, but they'd all declined. Percy because he needed to get back to his girlfriend, who had been unable to make it to the party. Fleur had declined because she wasn't feeling well, something that had worried Molly to no end, prompting her to stay and take care of her. As for Arthur, he'd been called into work, something rather common with the end of the war.

"It has been a very long time," Severus said, mostly to himself. He was looking around the library in wonder, gathering a surprise glance from Harry.

"You've been here before?"

"A lot of us have," he answered shortly.

"There were balls," Remus explained to Harry when no one else spoke. "All of us went. They stopped… when was it?"

"After Walburga tried to fucking kill me," Adelaide spoke up. "Dorea was so pissed. Technically it wasn't the last ball, you know, but the one after that was… there were very few people there. It wasn't much of a ball, honestly."

"Thank god that demented witch is dead," Sirius muttered. "I can't believe she tried to kill you."

Adelaide nodded her agreement to his earlier statement. "I honestly thought she was trying to kill _you_."

"Both are likely," Regulus pointed out. "I think she hated you both equally."

"Point is," Adelaide looked to Harry. "We all spent a lot of time here. After Sarah and Lucas died, your grandparents took me and Draco in."

"They did the same for Remus and I," Sirius agreed. "They were extremely kind people."

"So… no offense, but is there a _reason_ we're here?" Tonks asked them. Adelaide exchanged a look with Regulus and turned back to everyone.

"Um, yes, actually. All of you know about Dolohov, right?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "And he found us here."

"How do they know?" Avery asked with a slight frown. She sighed and sat back.

"So I've run into him a lot more than I told you. The first time I met him was 1996 at the Department of Mysteries when he held me back from the fight. After that, he cursed me during a fight at Hogwarts in 1997. Then, when we were captured, he was holding onto me and sort of… choking me. Fucking Greyback saved me that time. He was there while I was being tortured, and then we fought during the Final Battle. Sirius saved me then."

"Shit," Avery cursed softly. "I didn't even think how he would handle Hermione Granger."

Adelaide shrugged. "It happened, there's nothing we can do about it now."

"You want to tell everyone about Dolohov?" Kingsley asked, horrified. Adelaide shook her head quickly.

"Not everything, Kings. But there's something you don't know, either. It's not like I _want_ to share it, but I sort of have to."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked, concerned. "What happened?"

"So… in my third year, I was sort of… I don't know, brooding. I was in Slytherin common room, and it was really late. Dolohov and I were the only ones in there, and he approached me for the first time. I tried to leave and he… hit me with a few spells, a few curses. He was planning to hurt me really badly. I was bound and silenced and Avery managed to save me. It's how we became friends, actually."

"Shit," Harry cursed. "So he's attacked you then, too?"

"It's why he's gone after her so much," Sirius told his godson, tense. "He knew."

"The thing is," she spoke up. "He hit me with this curse that… it sort of latched onto my core like a soul bond would. I am bonded to Regulus, he's my soulmate, but… I'm bonded to Dolohov, too. He can feel where I am when I'm outside of the wards, which is how he knew where we were and why he showed up, Harry."

"Is that even possible?" Tonks asked, surprised. "It shouldn't be possible to have more than one soul bond, should it?"

"The curse he hit her with," Avery spoke up slowly. "I know it. I imagine he found it in my family's library. It is old and dark and despicable and a branch of manipulative magic that has nearly died out, thus why you would assume it is impossible."

"He's right," Draco spoke up. "I don't know the curse in particular, but I watched Regulus be thrown out of her mind when he touched the bond with Dolohov."

"Were you bonded with Regulus in your third year?" Theo wondered. Adelaide shook her head.

"We bonded in my fourth year on accident."

"Then why wouldn't Dolohov's bond be the main bond?" he asked, earning a few glares. "Logically, he should be if he was your first soul bond."

"I don't think so," Avery disagreed. "He latched onto her core, sort of like a leech. Regulus _bonded_ with her core. It is nearly impossible to tear them apart because they're meant to be together. Dolohov is… unwelcome."

"What does it do?" Harry wondered. He knew just about nothing about bonds, and this especially confused him.

"That's… difficult," Adelaide sighed. "I didn't know it was even there for two years. He can obviously find me and he can manipulate my mind through Imperius easily, but aside from that… I don't know. I'm not exactly in the mood to figure it out, either."

"How the hell could he Imperius you?" Charlie asked her, concerned. "Fred and George told us Crouch Jr taught everyone how to throw it off."

"He did," she agreed softly.

"He did it," Fabian spoke up for her. "She was testing her time turner and ended up in Slytherin. He was there and he Imperiused her. It was bad."

"It felt like… it was hard," she agreed. "It felt like he overpowered my natural tendency to question everything. It was like I _wanted_ to do what he told me to do. Like I didn't care."

"A successful and powerful Imperius," Kingsley nodded. "What did he make you do? Go to Voldemort?"

"No," she disagreed shortly. They waited for her to continue but she didn't.

"Well, what _did_ he make you do?" Ginny asked. Adelaide met her eyes and the redheaded girl recognized a look she'd only seen once. "Oh. Oh… Merlin, Mione."

"What?" Harry asked, looking between them. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Regulus looked at him darkly. "That you need to know about. Leave it alone."

Adelaide sighed and shook herself. "Dolohov has it out for me. One other… issue we have is that… well, Regulus and I can't die until the other dies. We'll die together. Draco suspects that… Dolohov won't be able to die until I die, too."

"Fuck," Gideon cursed loudly. She hadn't told the twins much about the bond situation, something she thought had been a good idea when the teacup in front of Fabian blew to pieces.

"Calm down," Severus snapped. "Your anger does nothing to help."

"Well, I already told you, I'm going to throw him in Azkaban," Kingsley assured her. "Did Dorea call Aurors after the ball?"

Adelaide tensed. "No, she didn't. She and Sarah just took me to St. Mungo's and dropped it when I asked them to. I was in no place to answer questions and be blown off by aurors."

"Then with your memories and anyone else that… saw it, we should have him in Azkaban for a long time."

"We found them," Sirius spoke up, pointing to himself and Regulus. "We can… help."

"What happened at the Ball?" Blaise asked curiously. He and Theo had been rather quiet, observing the group instead of interacting. He was curious to see all of the people that had been in the past with her glance at her before looking away. "Merlin, even the Slytherins are bad at hiding this shit."

"You remember how I silenced her?" Avery asked him sharply. Blaise raised an eyebrow at him in answer. "This was what she said."

"I see."

"So, what, make sure Dolohov doesn't murder her?" George asked.

"I don't think he wants to kill me," Adelaide said quietly. "I'm not sure he's ever wanted to kill me."

"We'll have him arrested," Kingsley assured her. She nodded a little before pausing, shifting the subject from the man that was obsessed with her.

"Is there any way to get Rodolphus released? And if not released, can I see him?"

"_Why_?"

"I made a promise," she shrugged. "I intend to keep it."

"What sort of promise?" he asked her, pushing for clarification. She sighed.

"I promised him that I'd help handle his dark mark," she admitted. "He helped me a great deal with figuring out what it was comprised of and what was happening to Draco. Without him, Draco might be dead."

"_You_ might be dead," Draco shot back at her angrily. She made a face at him.

"Get _over_ it," she snapped. "I'm not apologizing for not fucking killing you, Malfoy!"

"Woah, _what_?" Theo looked between them, surprised. Draco continued glaring at her darkly, though he answered his friend.

"In fifth year - our original fifth year - I made her promise she'd kill me if I was ever a threat to her because of the Dark Lord. She did not."

"Because I knew we'd come back and he'd be dead!" she huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Don't lie," he said heatedly. "I know you never fucking fought back. Regulus might have been the one in your head but I _know_ you."

"Then you should have known better than to expect I'd kill you."

"I don't get it, are they _friends_?" George asked Harry. Fred nodded along.

"They look like they're about to kill each other."

"They'll get over it," Sirius said, nudging Adelaide. "Move on, kitten. You can argue about his continued existence another time."

"Fine," she muttered with a huff, eyeing Theo. "Are you ready?"

He met her gaze and nodded once.

"Where are you going?" Regulus asked, getting to his feet with them. She kissed him gently and pulled back, smiling in reassurance.

"I'll be okay, Reg. He won't hurt me."

"I don't know him."

"I do."

"No, you don't," he disagreed with an eye roll. "I've seen maybe three conversations between you two that wasn't about school work."

"Okay, fine," she shrugged. "But he's always been perfectly nice to me, hasn't he?"

"He's a Death Eater."

"Oh, for god's sake," she threw her arms up. "Avery said the same thing! So are you! Hell, I am, too, technically. We're going to go to my room, I'll do what I need to do, and you will wait with Sirius."

"Adelaide," he said softly, grabbing her hand. "We just left."

She nodded a little. "I know. I know we did, okay? We'll talk later, I promise."

Finally, he let her go and she nodded at the door and guided Theo to her bedroom. Once there, she stopped short in the door to look it over, shaking her head.

"How long has it been?" Theo asked gently. She stepped into the room and looked around.

"Nineteen years," she answered quietly. Her eyes fell on a couple of letters on her bed and she picked the first one up, freezing at the familiar handwritting. "James," she breathed. "Fuck."

"Do you need a minute?" Theo offered, watching her. She straightened and shook her head, setting it down again.

"No, I- no. I'll read them later," she said, setting the matter aside. She took a seat at the table by the window and he sat down next to her. "Do you have any questions about anything? I know this must be…. Confusing. Startling."

"Did you ever… do anything for him?"

Adelaide shook her head quietly. "The Order found me at Malfoy Manor. I woke up in the Infirmary with some of my friends surrounding the bed. I felt it heat up sometimes like he was calling for me. It hurt often, but it didn't seem like he could do much more than cause me some pain. I left, actually, during a raid. Severus fought me and threw me into a shop and told me to leave. Apparently, he was actively looking for me again."

"This is none of my business, but… Regulus Black?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. She smiled softly.

"I know. I was so upset when his uncle told me what had happened because I knew he was supposed to die. I'd already planned on helping save him, of course, but I was terrified. I know I've got a lot to stress over, but I'm glad preserving time isn't one of those things anymore."

"I saw you in third year," he laughed quietly. "You don't seem to handle stress very well."

"I might have been a _bit_ overwhelmed in the past," she rolled her eyes. "But now I'm back and I can work on the things I need to handle. Like the mark. Have you noticed any unexplained mood changes or losses of time?"

"No," he answered easily. "You can check with Blaise. I've just been… very relieved that it's over."

"It's been… what, three months?" she hummed. "Good to know. Can I run some tests?"

"Sure," he agreed. He pulled off his sweater to give her access to his forearm. It looked perfectly normal, much to her relief.

"Draco's went bad," she explained as she began casting her spells - wandlessly, much to his surprise. "Like it was leaking through his arm."

"Have you done these spells on yours?" he wondered when she dropped the spell and poked it lightly, making him shiver. He avoided looking at it or even touching it, so it was a bit hard to bare it so openly.

"No," she muttered, focusing. "I can't. I tried casting a regular diagnostic charm on myself and that didn't work either. I think my core is messing everything up."

"Your core?" he asked, watching her trace the mark with her finger as she thought. She looked up at him and blinked.

"Sorry, I'm not used to everyone around me not knowing everything," she admitted with a small laugh. "The time turner broke into my chest, right? Well, the sands of time moved into my reserves and changed that magic, but not the rest. And then in second year, Sirius fell during a Quidditch match and I had a surge of accidental magic trying to save him. That reserve magic spread through my entire core and my core then expanded over my entire body. Alphard actually had to have me walk through the Veil of Death because the magic was Unstable."

"Merlin," Theo breathed. "Unstable? That could've killed you."

She nodded. "That's why he pushed me through the Veil. Apparently, it's supposed to feed off excess magic to prevent someone from becoming an Obscurus. Alphard said I wouldn't have since the sands magic wasn't organically mine at the time, but he was still worried enough to bring Sirius in case I bloody died. My point is, the sands magic is now organically mine and my core fills my entire body. So when I cast certain spells on myself, my core interacts with the spell and messes it up."

"Would it work if someone else cast the spell?" he wondered. She blinked, considering the question.

"I hadn't thought about it," she admitted. "I was focused on other things."

"Well, what are you doing?" Theo nodded at where she had resumed casting spells. She let out a small squeak when one caused a reaction and a dark energy lifted from it and chased her. Only her shield held it back, and still, it kept trying to poke through it.

"_Reditus_!" she shouted, waving her free hand at the dark magic. It slowly returned to Theo's arm and she only dropped the shield when it was finally all gone. "Oh, fuck, that's never happened before."

"What the hell was that?" Theo asked, staring at his arm. The dark magic hadn't exactly gone back to where it was, but rather began spreading out the way that Draco's mark had. The sight made her nervous, and she stayed where she was for fear he would get violent.

"Failsafe," she answered. "Fuck, I think I know- fuck!"

"_What_?"

"Draco did it," she told him, her anger soaring. "He was fucking with his mark! That's why it attacked him!"

"Are you telling me my mark is going to do what his did?" Theo asked her, his voice picking up. She hesitated.

"I know how to fix it, Theo, but usually only trained Unspeakables do it," she winced. "I don't think I should. I might kill you."

"Grang- Adelaide," he said, taking in a deep breath. "You said Draco nearly killed you."

"He did."

"So do it," he instructed. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

"I've never done it before," she exclaimed, her eyes widening. "I could kill you!"

"Please," he said softly. "Do it."

Adelaide cursed loudly and repeatedly as she moved around the room to set things up. She moved the letters - three of them, she realized - to the dresser and waved him over to the bed to lie down. "I'm going to drain your core, Theo. It might take a while, and I don't want to knock you out. You have to tell me if something feels off, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed quietly. She considered how to do it and eventually waved him over so she could sit on the bed next to him to work. She sat on her knees and leaned over to place her hand above his chest.

"I'm going to start," she whispered, mostly because it felt too intense to say it aloud. At his nod, she began slowly by reaching out to touch his core. She paid attention and felt the temporary bond Alphard had told her of spark to life. It allowed her to reach deeper into the core, and she began reaching in to collect it and pull it out.

It was a painfully slow process that included releasing his core multiple times to dispose of the magic safely. She did so by letting it float in the air around them until it dissipated. When she finally reached the last bit, she caught sight of the dark piece of Voldemort's own core. It seemed to be struggling to hold on, and she absently summoned a jar from the bathroom that held some body wash that Marlene had given her. She emptied it out and carefully removed the last of Theo's magic that she safely could. It left only a very small amount left, the only thing that kept him alive.

Voldemort's core piece followed out and she did the same, gasping at the sight before her. The core piece was hovering in the air with the magic that was slowly disappearing. She did her best to guide it into the jar and watched in amazement as the rest of the magic disappeared immediately.

"Miffy!" she called. The elf popped in and she offered her a small smile. "Can you give this to Bill for me? Tell him it contains a piece of Voldemort's core and I don't know what to do with it."

Miffy eyed the jar and nodded, taking it from her. She popped out quickly and Adelaide breathed out in relief and did something she knew she'd probably be yelled at for.

She grabbed onto her own magic, her core, and connected it with Theo's to transfer magic to him. Without Aberforth to yell at her, she gave him a little too much and only stopped when she fell a little and braced herself by grabbing onto the bed. She looked down at the boy in front of her.

"Theo," she said softly, touching his arm. "Hey, wake up." He shifted a little and she was relieved to see that he was waking up even quicker than Draco had. When his eyes open, she winced at the sight of the golden eyes. "Ah, I forgot about that."

He looked around, confused. "What… happened?"

"I removed the piece of Voldemort's core from your mark," she answered calmly. "And then, because I'm impatient, I woke you up."

The door flew open and hit the wall hard. The sudden noise startled Adelaide and, being unsteady, she fell straight of the bed with a lot of cursing. Regulus, who had entered the room, cursed as well and helped her to her feet. "What _happened_?"

"I woke him up," she waved him off. "I'm not hurt or anything, just tired. What are you doing? I told you to stay down there."

"Miffy brought Bill a piece of Voldemort's core," he told her with a deep frown. "You're shaking."

She looked down at herself in surprise. "Oh, I am. It's fine, though. I hadn't really planned to remove it from Theo today, but it suddenly became urgent… Speaking of which, where the fuck is Draco?"

"In the library, why?"

Adelaide narrowed her eyes and cast her Patronus, the sight of the Grim comforting her. "To Draco. Come to my room. It's important."

Regulus finally glanced at Theo. When he did, he closed his eyes and took in a short breath. "_Adelaide_."

"Calm down," she waved him off. "I did it when we took care of Draco, too. We were both fine then, too. It should go away within a couple days."

"Didn't Uncle Alphard remind you to never do that again?"

"_Maybe_."

"What did you do?" Theo questioned, getting off the bed when he felt steady enough to do so.

"I gave you a magical transfer," she shrugged. "No offense, Theo, but I didn't really want to leave you in my bed until you woke up and it felt rude to hand you off to Blaise to take care of you."

"Magical transfers come from _nearly dead people_."

"And people with an extreme excess of magic, apparently," she said, her lips twitching at the irritation on Regulus's face. Draco walked through the door and took in the situation, including Theo's glowing eyes.

"For Merlin's sake, Granger," he rolled his eyes at her. "Get some fucking patience for once."

"You fucked with your mark!" she glared, stalking over to him. His eyes shot to Theo, who just shrugged. He was on her side. "You fucking arsehole! Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just cast a few spells on it," he defended. "It was fine!"

Adelaide's hair began to spark, startling Theo. "It's why it began decaying, you prat! You nearly fucking killed yourself! And me!"

"You said it was Riddle's fault," he snapped back at her, their tempers feeding into one another. "Change your mind now that I'm fine? You're too bloody sentimental."

"Want me to kill you now? I'm in the mood for it," she snarked. "I triggered Theo's mark, Draco! If I hadn't drained his bloody core, we know what could have happened! God, why wouldn't you tell me something like this? It's a damn good thing that I can't even touch my own mark or I could've done it to myself! You weren't even _there_. I could have killed someone that wasn't supposed to die and ruined the future!"

"Everyone is fine," Regulus told her, putting a hand up to stop Draco. "Theo is fine, you're fine. There's no point being angry about it now, Little Lion. It's over."

Adelaide turned to look at her boyfriend and stopped short. While they'd been back together for hours, she was still startled by being so close to him. Luckily for Draco, that fact alone saved him from being hexed by her. Unluckily for him, she leaned up and kissed Regulus deeply, feeling the need to be close. When it became apparent that they weren't going to stop in polite time, Theo grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him out of the room, closing the door behind them.

It was only when the door clicked shut that Regulus pulled away and cupped her face in his hands. "I missed you."

Adelaide let out a short laugh, tears building in her eyes. "I missed you, too. I never knew I could miss someone so… deeply."

"Marry me," he requested in a whisper. She nodded and kissed him again.

"I already said yes, Reg."

"Soon," he clarified, surprising her. He leaned down and touched their foreheads together, closing his eyes as he spoke "I don't want to be away from you again. I want to keep you with me forever, Adelaide. As soon as we can, I want to marry you."

"Okay," she breathed. "Okay, as soon as we can."

Xx

"What are they doing?" Harry asked curiously when they hadn't returned after ten minutes. Sirius let out an indelicate snort.

"Probably fuckin or something," he answered offhandedly. Remus smacked him, and he blinked at the horrified look Harry gave him. "I'm kidding. Sorry. I don't know. They've been apart for a really long time, fighting each other. It was definitely hard on Addy."

"How did she handle… all of that?" Bill asked in concern. Sirius sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. If Avery and Severus weren't looking at him with just as much concern and curiosity, he would've waved off the question.

"Not well," he admitted. "She spent a lot of time with James, Remus, and I. She actually slept with me a lot. She had a lot of nightmares."

"She slept with you?" Charlie raised an eyebrow. Harry nodded before Sirius could.

"Padfoot slept on Hermione's bed while we were on the run, but especially after Malfoy Manor."

Sirius nodded. "When she let me, I'd just sleep with her normally. Sometimes, she just… she refused. Pride, I think. But on the nights of raids, she got me and we went to sleep with James and Lily. I think she just needed her people with her."

"I was going on missions for Dumbledore," Remus sighed. "On and off. I wasn't there very constantly toward the end there."

"But fighting," Sirius shook his head. "She became a different person. Or… I guess, the same person, just clearer. Angry. Furious, actually. She fought with such ferocity that it actually scared me a little. In all my life, I've never seen anyone fight like her."

"That's why she fought me the most," Avery agreed softly. "I was the best match for her strength, so whoever else was there would distract Dolohov. He knew we were doing it, I think."

"You guys fought her?" Ginny asked in surprise. "How? Didn't you get hurt?"

"Often," Severus confirmed. "But she had no way to know who we were. We discussed it very briefly once and it became clear that she would be fighting us and we had to learn how to get out as uninjured as possible."

"She fought knowing she could be hurting you?" Charlie frowned. "That doesn't sound like Hermione."

"It's not," Remus agreed quietly. "It's Adelaide."

"Why was she so angry?" Harry questioned, confused. Sirius grimaced at the question.

"Aside from the fact that she was possibly hexing, cursing, or killing her brother, one of her best friends, and her soulmate?" he shook his head. "She was so angry that she had to fight again. Mum tried to convince her not to, and it worked during school, sort of. But after we graduated… they got into an argument over it, actually. Mum reminded her that she had to make it to the future for all of us, and Adelaide… she lost it. I won't repeat what she said, but it was bad. She actively sought out Death Eaters for a solid week after that. Didn't come home until Mum begged her to."

"Well she didn't _have_ to fight, did she?" George questioned. Severus scoffed.

"We tried to tell her as much."

"She's too bloody thick to listen," Draco muttered.

"She felt like she had to," Remus spoke up over their complaints. "She fought the war here and _won_ and then she was sent back to the very beginning of it. She became friends with all of us, with James and Lily and Marlene and Dorcas and knew what would happen and she was furious for us and for herself, for what she was going through. Imagine being her, the relief she felt at winning and the horror and fear and fury she felt at being back in that death and hatred and fear. She fought because she was furious that she was there."

"Stop talking about me," Adelaide complained, entering the library with Regulus once more. "We've got news."

"God, you're not pregnant, are you?" Sirius asked, cringing. Adelaide stared at him.

"Sirius, I haven't seen him in a year and a half until today. If I were pregnant, it would be _very_ recent and I wouldn't even know yet. _Shut up_."

For good measure, Remus smacked the back of Sirius's head, earning him a thankful smile from Adelaide.

"We're getting married," Regulus announced.

"Uh, we know," Ginny stared at them. "You told us."

"No, I mean we're getting married _soon_," he told them. "Tomorrow - or today, I guess - we're going to get declared alive and then we're going to get married."

Adelaide looked to Fabian and Gideon. "If you both love me, you'll keep Molly from freaking out or trying to control it. Please."

"Of course, Pip," Fabian agreed with a bright smile.

"Fuck, a wedding," Sirius muttered, looking panicked. "Damn it, you guys can't wait a _month_?"

"No," they said together.

"Everyone can come," Adelaide said as if it made up for the short notice. "Just the ceremony and a small party after. I'd say no party, but Molly…"

"Wouldn't stand for it," Gideon agreed.

Kingsley looked between the couple and sighed. "If anyone that's supposed to be dead will come with me, we can get started on declaring you alive."

Xx

It was nearly nine o'clock in the morning by the time Adelaide, Regulus, Avery, Fabian, and Gideon were all declared alive by the ministry. There was a quick press conference afterwards where they gave the bare bones of what had happened before escaping to Potter Manor once more. It was there that they found Sirius and Molly setting up a beautiful display in the yard. Adelaide had very little time to pay attention to that, however, because she was pulled away by Remus, who took her to the basement.

"Not gonna kill me, are you?" she joked, glancing around the room. It was very large and filled with antiques and heirlooms, things too precious to be stores in Gringott's.

"Lily told me," he explained, guiding her over to a table with a short label: _Lily Elizabeth Potter_. "She wore it every day, even after you left. I just got it recently, actually."

"Remus, what are we doing?" Adelaide asked softly. On the table were a few things she'd seen Lily wear over the years- a pair of earrings, a bracelet James had given her, the engagement ring he'd decided on. "What are we doing down here?"

"Sirius took Regulus to find his ring," Remus explained. "He wanted to bring you, but I thought you might want to look at this first. Plus…"

"What?"

Remus reached down to the closed jewelry box in front of them and reached in. He pulled out a single necklace and she gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. "She wanted you to have it back, Addy."

Adelaide reached out to take the locket from him. It looked mostly the same, though there was a small scratch on the back of it. "Something borrowed," she whispered.

"You gave it to her on her wedding day," he reminded her. "I thought it fit to give it back on yours."

Adelaide ignored the tears falling from her eyes in favor of trying once more to open the locket. She'd tried multiple times over the years and it had never opened for her, at least not until then. It clicked open and she froze, staring down at it. Inside was a swirling pool of silvery water with an abundance of blueish-silver strings running through the pools. "It's… a pensieve?"

"Lily figured it out," Remus confirmed. "After you left. It was collecting all of your memories every time you wore it and it collected hers. She left a few in there for you to look at when you've got the time."

"That's why he never told me," she laughed softly. "He wanted it to be a surprise when I got back."

"We can look at the rings later," he offered. She shook her head quickly and closed the locket gently.

"I'll look at this later."

"Rings, then."

"Yeah… the rings."

Xx

Regulus glanced at the jewelry neatly placed around the large room, overwhelmed. "I cannot imagine why it would be a good idea to do this without Adelaide."

"Remus had something he needed to give her," Sirius waved him off. "She'll be here in a little bit. Potter Manor doesn't actually have much and none of it is really her style."

Regulus sighed and stepped further into the room and past the side room that held the necklaces and earrings. The wedding bands were further back, and he glanced at everything as he walked through. "You are certain this has all been checked over?"

"I sent four separate curse breakers in here and two of them even came out," Sirius joked, earning himself a glare. "Relax, Reggie. We can take everything to Bill before it goes on either of your hands."

"We're here!" Remus called, entering the vault with Adelaide behind him. Sirius spotted the locket on her and grinned.

"I thought you'd cry a little longer, kitten."

"I did not cry," she huffed, making her way over to Regulus.

"She cried," Remus disagreed, dodging the hex she threw at him without bothering to look. "Nothing there."

"You know, this would be a lot less stressful if you hadn't decided to do this in _one day_," Sirius pointed out as the group reached the significant number of wedding rings of many different styles.

"We get it, you're bitter," Regulus told his brother, glancing down at a thinner golden band that sat next to a golden ring that looked like intertwined roots. Adelaide gasped and picked the more intricate ring up to examine it.

"It reminds me of my wand," she said softly, more to herself than anyone else. "I love this one."

"I do like this," he commented, plucking the plain golden band from its place on the table. "Everything else is much too…"

"Dramatic," Sirius muttered for him. "Are you done? Good! We've got a lot more shit to do, so hurry up."

"Sirius-,"

"Hurry up!"

"I was worried about Molly but _Merlin_, you're already a pain in the arse."

Xx

The couple were separated for their trips to find their robes, which they both paid quite a bit to have finished within a couple of hours. After that, they were forcibly kept apart by those helping them. While Avery had been bunched in with Regulus's group, the groom threatened every single one of them if they kept Avery from staying with Adelaide to keep her safe. Aside from Avery, she found herself with Severus, Ginny, and the Prewett twins. It was an odd group, but she loved all of them so she said nothing.

By mid-afternoon, everything was finished. It took a mixture of six elves, every Weasley, Molly, and a few of the guests from the day before to get everything in place. The news of the wedding had gotten out to everyone that had been at Harry's birthday party, and so every single one of them returned once more for the wedding.

Adelaide twisted around to look at herself in the mirror. Her dress was a parchment white with bits of carefully placed lace over it. It fit her well, thankfully, and the neckline was just low enough that her locket didn't sit awkwardly on her neck. She was given a pair of pearl earrings from Ginny and she counted them as her something borrowed. Her something blue came in the form of a pin in her hair that Harry had found in the basement, and her something old was her locket. For her something new, she found Severus standing at the door with a small box in his hands.

"Oh, Sev," she breathed, relaxing her tense shoulders. Everyone had left her alone after she threatened to freeze them in large blocks of ice, much to her relief. "What are you doing? I figured Reg would want you to be with him."

"I didn't imagine you getting married so soon," he admitted, ignoring her nervous words. "Soon, yes. The day after you returned? I thought even you weren't so… insane."

Adelaide let out a small laugh. "Are you _supposed_ to insult a bride on her wedding day?"

"Probably not," he allowed. "I got you something."

She eyed the box and took it when he made his way over to her. Upon opening it, she saw a thin ribbon folded neatly inside. "What is it?"

"Avery told me you were upset that you did not have your something new," he explained. "It isn't exactly _new_, but it is new in this form and new to you."

"What is it?" she asked again, this time softer. She pulled it out of the box and rubbed it between her fingers with a small smile.

"For your hair," he nodded at the small braid Avery had placed in it. "I got it from Mother's dress."

Adelaide stared down at the ribbon in surprise and blinked away the sudden tears. "Sev, I wasn't… I loved her, but I wasn't a good daughter. I should have… I don't know. Let her be closer than I did."

"She loved you," he disagreed. "Which means you were her daughter."

"He already braided it," she laughed, wiping away a tear. Severus rolled his eyes and waved the door open with his wand.

"I can redo it," Avery told her with a gentle smile as he entered the room. He'd obviously been waiting. "It's not like I've forgotten how."

Adelaide moved over to her brother and wrapped him up in a tight hug. "I'm so glad you don't hate me."

"I never could," he promised her, gently pulling away so Avery could redo the small braid in the cascading curls. "Who is in the wedding party?"

Adelaide stood still for Avery and smiled at Severus. "Ginny is my maid of honor. Fleur and Tonks are bridesmaids."

"Hey- hey!" Ginny exclaimed, poking her head into the room. "No boys allowed!"

"I'm fixing her hair, Weasley," Avery laughed, slowly braiding the ribbon in. "He's her brother. Nothing horrible is happening in here."

"Mm," Ginny narrowed her eyes. "Well, I told them five minutes, so you've got five minutes."

"Oh my god," Adelaide gasped, looking around. "Oh- shit, I'm getting _married_!"

"See, this is why last minute weddings are a bad idea," Ginny hummed, earning herself a glare.

"It's not that I don't want to marry him, Gin, it just hasn't set in. I'm going to be… what, Adelaide Black?"

"That has a ring to it," Avery tried, spelling the braid three times and spraying it with muggle hairspray. He dropped it back down and patted her shoulder. "It'll be okay. You love him, Addy."

"I do," she agreed, nodding to herself. "But… oh my god, I haven't written any vows! What sort of ceremony is it?"

"First the binding," Severus answered. "And then muggle vows and a kiss and it's over."

"You've got three minutes," Ginny told her with a smile and a shrug. "Good luck."

Xx


	13. Chapter 12

**August 1st, 1998**

**Potter Manor**

The yard was filled with chairs and people. No one spoke as the music played the wedding party down the aisle. First came Ginny with Sirius, who was grinning brightly at everyone he looked at. He seemed to enjoy Ginny's company greatly and wiggled his eyebrows at Harry, who looked a little bit like he wanted to die. After the maid of honor and best man came Tonks with Avery, both much calmer than the two ahead of them but just as excited. After them was Fleur on Draco's arm. It was an odd match, and Draco looked like he'd much rather be drinking all the firewhiskey in the area.

After the wedding party came the bride.

Adelaide walked down the aisle with Severus. Regulus met her eyes and she was shocked to find him smiling a teary smile. It was all she could do not to start crying again, too. While they'd charmed her makeup not to move, she didn't want to start crying before she even reached him.

Once they got to the aisle, she handed her bouquet of roses and sunflowers off to Ginny, who held it happily for her. Kingsley, who was marrying them, began the ceremony the muggle way. Severus handed her off and took his seat by Remus in the front row. It was to be a quicker ceremony, so they got straight into it.

Kingsley took a silk rope from the table behind him and waved his wand over it. "_Vtrumque autem simul omnes animas meum corripiam_. _Vtrumque autem simul omnes animas meum corripiam_." The rope lit up brightly and he reached out for their left hands. He tied the rope around them tightly until they were tied together, bound physically and magically. "With this, you are bound together for all of your lives. Your natural bond is strengthened by this and will never be broken."

The couple could feel their natural bond strengthen within them, the cord between them no longer a string holding them together and instead a strong rope that they could both feel more easily than before. Regulus reached out to touch the rope with his magic, and Adelaide gasped in surprise when she felt _him_ vibrating over to her, love and comfort and safety filling her completely.

The rope stopped glowing and Kingsley unwrapped it from around them and handed it to Ginny, who then wrapped it around Adelaide's bouquet. With that done, the man turned back to them with a smile. "I was told you have written vows for one another that you'd like to share before you put your rings on. Regulus, if you'd like to go first."

Regulus held Adelaide's hand within his own and took in a slow breath to calm his own fast breathing. "Adelaide… when we met, I was very alone. I had only my mother. My brother was avoiding me, but you tricked my Mother and were welcomed with open arms by my Mother, my Father, my brother, and myself. From the day I met you, I felt _something_. I knew you that day - I knew you were reckless, I knew you loved hard, I knew you _hated_ bigotry.

"I didn't know how bloody terrified you would make me. I didn't know how far I'd go to keep you safe, to make sure I can love you for the rest of our lives. Truthfully, I still don't. But I know that we both suffered for a long time and that it took us going through hell to get here today. I know that when I looked at you last night, I couldn't stand the thought of waiting to marry you. I won't be away from you again, Addy. I won't. I'm going to spend the rest of our lives loving you with everything I have, and maybe a little bit that I don't have, too. So don't ever leave me again, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded, a few tears falling.

"Adelaide?" Kingsley raised an eyebrow when she just sniffled and stared at Regulus. She shook herself and nodded.

"So… I really thought I knew who my soulmate was," she admitted with a small laugh. "I haven't really told you this, but I was certain that it wasn't you. Alphard was the one that told me it was impossible, actually. And then I was just… mad at you. Mad because you weren't supposed to be my soulmate, Reg. You were supposed to be someone that I cared greatly for that I was going to save. But suddenly… there was a lot more at stake.

"I'd done research on bonds before. I knew what a soul bond meant. I knew that it meant that I had the choice to be… so incredibly happy with you. I knew it meant that we were meant to be together, despite how little I'd previously believed in that sort of meant to be bullshit. But I also _felt_ it. I felt calm with you. At peace. I felt _safe_. I… I _do_ feel safe with you. I trust you with everything, probably best represented by trusting you with my mind.

"So, ah… avoiding you for a full month _probably_ wasn't my best move," she laughed with him. "And I _would_ thank Severus and Avery for meddling in my life, except I don't want to support such behavior, so I think I won't do that. My point is… I'm glad you didn't just let me avoid you forever. So much of my time in the past would've been so much harder without you. It _was_ harder without you. It was one of the worst times in my life, going into battle knowing I could be cursing or killing you. So I'm so fucking grateful to be here with you today. Safe in the future with so many people we love. With you… for the rest of our lives."

"Okay," Kingsley smiled softly at them. "If you can hand them the rings…" he paused to let Sirius and Ginny hand over the rings to the couple. Once they had them, he turned to Regulus. "Repeat after me. I, Regulus Arcturus Black, take you, Adelaide Morgan Snape-,"

"I, Regulus Arcturus Black, take you, Adelaide Morgan Snape-,"

"To be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward-,"

"To be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward-,"

"For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer-,"

"For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer-,"

"In sickness and in health, and to love and to cherish always."

"In sickness and in health, and to love and to cherish always."

The vows were repeated by Adelaide and finally, they put on their rings. Kingsley grinned at them brightly and threw his arms up in excitement. "I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may now kiss the bride!"

Regulus pulled her into a kiss, one which she returned eagerly. They were _finally_ together again and they were certain that whatever happened, they'd find each other once more.

Xx

"It's just weird!" Harry threw his head back with a dramatic sigh. "I'm not saying I don't _support_ her, it's just weird."

"Not if you look at it from her perspective," Tonks tried. "They've been apart for over a year, they miss each other. It's not as if it wouldn't happen eventually anyway."

Ginny narrowed her eyes at the pink haired woman. "You knew!"

Tonks' lips twitched. "Yeah, maybe. Remus is shit at keeping secrets, so when he started staring at Hermione, he was either cheating or… all this shit."

"Ew," Harry made a face. "Ew! That gets grosser the more I think about it."

"_I_ want to know how they kept it from us," Ginny pointed out to Harry. "Especially you and Hermione."

"She definitely knew something was up," Tonks admitted. "Remus was very stressed. I _tried_ to tell him to just avoid her, but he insisted she'd know then, too."

"Know what?" Avery asked, stopping as he went to pass them.

"We want to know how Hermione didn't figure everything out," Ginny explained to him, eyeing him. She and Harry hadn't told anyone yet, but they'd both decided they weren't a great fit together, though they were still great friends.

"Especially since Sirius apparently told her about herself," Harry added. Avery considered the question seriously, looking out at the people dancing.

"I'd imagine it helped that the entire thing seems completely impossible. Aside from that… Dumbledore."

"Ah, shit."

"But we can't say anything," he told them firmly. "She will… probably lose her mind."

"I never asked, really, but she and Malfoy are… actually friends?" Harry wondered. "They still seem like they hate each other. I just thought they'd been dating."

Avery snorted. "They love each other, probably like siblings, but their tempers often clash and… they argue. Often about pointless things that happened years ago."

"Like their argument about whatever she did?" Harry asked. Avery rolled his eyes at the reminder and turned to watch the people dancing on the wooden floor.

"That is something they will likely never quit arguing over. If I didn't bloody know how powerful the witch is, I'd tell her I agree with Leo- Draco. What she did was stupid and dangerous and I'm almost certain I'd have yelled at her, too, if we'd been friends in second year."

"It's so strange to consider that she's lived a whole other life without us," Harry admitted quietly. "We did everything together. We went through school and survived all that shit together. Now she's…"

"A totally different person," Ginny nodded along. "I think maybe she needed that? You know how… tired she was, Harry. Dealing with you and Sirius and thinking about going back to school, plus the shit with the press-,"

"What?" Avery frowned at Ginny. "What about the press?"

Harry threw his head back, immediately annoyed at the reminder of how the press had harassed Hermione since their fourth year. "They suck."

Tonks snorted and spoke up, gaining Avery's attention. "Most of Adelaide's friends are men, which means that when she came into the spotlight as Harry's best friend, they all jumped on her. Called her awful names like whore, slut, hussy- it's an issue. Sirius is currently trying to bloody bury the people that write articles about her, but it's still going. Probably gonna get a lot worse after this wedding, too."

Avery paled, glancing over at Adelaide, who was speaking with Severus at the head table. Regulus was dancing with a girl that looked to be about fifteen and looked a great deal like Fleur. "_Fuck_."

"What?" Harry blinked. "It's shitty and I hate it, but… what?"

"Ah, you don't know Regulus," Avery shook his head, rubbing his face in concern. "He's going to absolutely lose his shit. _I_ might lose my shit."

"Over what?"

The group looked at Sirius, who was grinning at Avery as if the idea of him losing it made him happy.

"The Daily Prophet," Ginny explained. Sirius's eyes darkened.

"Right. You told him?"

Harry shrugged at his godfather. "Can you imagine what they'll say about her when they get ahold of this? Who was the last person she was supposedly having a sordid affair with?"

"Fred, I think," Tonks offered.

"I can imagine it now," Ginny sighed. "'Seductress Hermione Granger betrays long time boyfriend Fred Weasley and marries a Death Eater.'"

Avery tensed, staring at her darkly. "I hope you're being dramatic."

"She really isn't," Harry made a face at the man. "It's usually worse. A lot more name calling."

"Slut is one of their favorites," Ginny agreed.

Avery stared between them angrily and spun to glare at Sirius. "You haven't done shit about this?"

"Woah, fucking chill," Sirius put his hands up. "I'm _trying_. You think I don't want them to stop this shit? The harder I try, the more they accuse her of fucking _me_."

"_Shit_."

"Gonna go punch everyone at the Daily Prophet?" Sirius asked with a smirk. "I'd love to see that again."

"_Again_?" Harry blinked rapidly. "You've punched everyone at the Daily Prophet before?"

"No," Avery answered stiffly. "I punched one person in third year for calling Adelaide an unsavory name."

"Yaxley called her a whore and he lost his shit," Sirius explained. "I mean, I did, too, but I didn't fucking punch anyone."

"You'll remember just what happened not long before that," Avery snapped at Sirius. "Fuck, what are we going to do? Regulus hears about this and he'll be sent to Azkaban for bloody murdering them. I'm amazed he hasn't seen it in her memories yet."

"She did tell me there were things she's kept from even him," Sirius shrugged. "There's nothing we can do, Avery. He's gonna find out."

"Well if you don't want to piss him off, maybe stop talking about it _at his wedding_," Tonks suggested, wrapping an arm around her husband as he joined them.

"What?" he wondered, eyeing Avery warily. "What happened?"

"Daily Prophet," Harry answered for the man. He tilted his head curiously at Avery. "Why do you care so much? Are you guys really that close?"

"We became close," he confirmed slowly. "I feel responsible for some of the things that have happened to her, and we became friends because I felt the need to ensure nothing of the sort ever happened again."

"_How_ was that your fault?" Remus asked, referring to their third year. "You weren't even in the room."

"Dolohov is family. A great deal of the dark curses he found were from my father's library, including the one that attached him to her. We didn't create it, but we are one of the last families that have a record of it."

"Shit," Ginny cursed. "He's your _family_?"

"My parents died when I was young. Despite how distantly we are related, his parents adopted me and raised me to get ahold of my father's library."

"This is a horrid conversation for their wedding," Remus chastised. "Be happy."

"Yeah, or pretend to be happy," Sirius added.

"Question," Ginny said in an attempt to shift the conversation. "Do they always look at each other across the room like they wanna fuck?"

"Ginny!" Harry exclaimed, horrified.

Sirius let out a bright laugh. "Not _always_. I think their newly sealed marriage bond is helping that along. Bets that they slip out within the hour?"

"Padfoot, shut up," Remus grimaced. "Don't be gross."

"Thirty minutes," Tonks grinned at her cousin. "_Tops_."

"You're on, Mini Tonks."

Xx

"You have that look in your eye," Severus said hesitantly. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that this doesn't feel real," Adelaide answered, resting her head on her brother's shoulder. They were sitting at the head table watching their friends and family dance or mingle together. The magical fairy lights all over the place, drapped over the tent and chairs made the entire scene feel a lot like a dream. "What do I do now, Sev?"

"What were your plans before you left?"

Adelaide considered the question. "Go back to school. Join the Ministry, try to make important changes."

"You don't need - or want - to go back to school now, obviously," he hummed. "You're officially a Black."

"Merlin, I am," she laughed, her eyes lighting up. "I'm _married_."

"To a Black," he pointed out again. "See if you can take the family seat. Work on laws there."

"It feels like there's more fighting to do. I feel like… this is a dream and tomorrow I'll wake up and go to raids and fight you guys again."

"Is that not why you got married so quickly?" he wondered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "You're both scared. I would have suggested you wait had I not known that there's no real reason to do so."

"Mm. It is a little bit. But… if there hadn't been a war, Sev, I think we might've gotten married the second he finished school."

"Have you considered where you'll live?"

Adelaide looked up at Potter Manor in front of them. "Here, I think. I was hoping you'd… join us, maybe."

Severus snorted. "I do not feel the need to live with Black and Potter and I am certain they would agree."

Adelaide scrunched up her nose at him. "God, I thought maybe you guys would've gotten over it by now. We all did shitty things, Sev. He needs to let it go. Even Remus isn't pissed at you for it still."

"You think he hates me because I killed Lupin's parents?"

"Um, yes? Why else?"

"Addy, he hates me because I was supposed to _protect_ you. I didn't. He expected me to kill Dolohov and when I did not, he confronted me."

Adelaide's mouth fell open in surprise. She turned to stare at her brother, a frown tugging at her lips. "But I- I'm my own bloody person, Sev! I never asked you to protect me and I sure as hell didn't ask you to kill Dolohov."

"But I said I would do both things," he shook his head and rubbed her shoulder gently. "It isn't important. I'm quite happy where I am, Addy."

"But you'll visit a lot?"

"If you are here, then yes, I will."

"And you and Sirius won't hex each other?"

"I never agreed to that."

"Severus!"

"What have you done to upset my lovely wife?"

Adelaide's frustrated frown melted into a happy smile as Regulus came up behind her and put his hands on her hips. "I asked him to move into Potter Manor with us."

Regulus raised an eyebrow at his old friend. "I assume you said no."

"That isn't why she's upset," Severus rolled his eyes. "Apparently, she never knew why your brother actually hates me."

"And you thought today was a good time to tell her?" Regulus narrowed his eyes at Severus. "Wonderful."

"That's not even it," Adelaide huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I asked him to visit us a bunch and then asked that he not hex Sirius. He refused to agree."

Regulus let out a laugh and kissed the side of her head. "Love, _I_ can't promise not to hex him. Neither can you, for that matter."

"I miss when everyone got along fine."

"What's with him?" Regulus wondered suddenly, looking over at Harry, Ginny, Sirius, Avery, and Tonks. Avery had stilled and he looked _furious_.

"Avery," Severus called, gaining their attention. The man looked over at him. When Severus waved him over, he made his way to them hesitantly and came to stand next to Severus, completing a half-circle standing in front of the head table looking out at the party.

"What's wrong, love?" Adelaide asked, worried. She hadn't seen him angry like that often and while everyone else looked somewhat okay, she saw how tense Sirius was and how resigned Harry looked.

"I do not think we should discuss it tonight."

"Avery, just tell us," she demanded, her smile slipping from her lips. "Is something wrong?"

Avery glanced at Regulus before his gaze fell on Adelaide. "They were telling me about the Daily Prophet."

Adelaide scowled darkly. "You can't bloody punch an entire newspaper, Avery."

"I can try."

"Just leave it."

"What about it?" Regulus asked, looking between them. Even Severus had winced a little at his words. "Addy, what is it?"

Adelaide looked at her new husband hesitantly. "You know there's not much I've kept from you in Occlumency, right?"

"Of course."

"This is… one of the things I _did_ keep from you, mostly because I knew it would piss you off. By the time we'd have gotten to it, we were already bonded and it would've been even worse and… I suppose I never considered you'd find out upon getting here."

"Adelaide, what is it?"

She hummed, considering how to tell him. "Miffy!" The elf popped in with a bright smile. "Hello. Can you get me every newspaper I was mentioned in by the Daily Prophet since 1994, please?"

"Yes, Mistress!" the elf agreed excitedly. She popped out and back in again and handed the large stack over to Adelaide, who settled them on the table in front of her and dug through for one from fifth year after the DOM and handed it over to Regulus after flipping to the page that spoke of her.

"'Harlot Hermione Granger whores around with both Harry Potter and Sirius Black,'" he read the title aloud, tensing. He read the rest of the small section silently and when he was finished, he lit the paper on fire. "You were _fifteen_!"

Adelaide shrugged. "So I'm used to it. They've been coming after me ever since Rita Skeeter caught me hugging Harry during fourth year. Nasty names and sometimes it can be upsetting, but for the most part, I just don't care anymore. They're going to say that shit anyway."

"And now? Does this still happen?"

She grabbed the paper on top, which was dated for July 13th, 1998.

"Hermione Granger unsatisfied with the wizards in England?" the title read. The first sentence was just as bad, maybe worse. "Having been seen with just about every wizard in our little country, this floozy has made her way to France to find her men. She was seen outside a local bakery with an unknown man, laughing and smiling at him. Flirting relentlessly. Does she have no heart? Or is this simply expected from the only woman in the Golden Trio?"

"Yeah, he's my cousin," Adelaide sighed, pointing at the man in the picture. "He got in contact with me because he couldn't find my parents to let them know our aunt had died. I was in France for a week to help plan the funeral. This is what the Daily Prophet took from that."

Regulus stared at the paper in his hands silently. She could feel his fury over their bond and was not in the least surprised when that paper lit up in flames as well. When he looked back up at her, his eyes flashed dangerously. "I'm going to _destroy_ them."

"Sirius has tried," she shrugged. "I don't think there's much we can do, Reg. Freedom of speech and all that. They can say whatever the hell they want about me."

"Not anymore," he told her, much too calm. "You are now the daughter of an Ancient and Noble House. If they say anything more about you - anything about _us_ \- we can easily sue them and win. They're not going to do anything anymore, Adelaide. I _will_ fix this."

She shrugged lightly and waved at the newspapers to burn them in the bonfire behind the tent. As they dropped in, she sent another spell to make the fire bigger and felt oddly happy at the sight of them burning. "It really isn't that important, Reg. They'll say shitty stuff about our wedding. Probably call me a gold digger, accuse me of not marrying Sirius because he's too old, maybe call me a slut again, but it doesn't really matter."

"It doesn't- did you hear yourself? That matters, Adelaide!"

"How did you guys even get on the topic?" she asked Avery, ignoring her husband. She'd hoped he'd let it go, but he seemed angrier the more he thought about it. "Not exactly great conversation for my wedding."

"Ginny was saying how stressed you were before you were sent to the past," he explained slowly. "She offhandedly mentioned your issue with the press, and I asked her to explain."

"Thus your furious, 'I'm gonna punch Yaxley' face," she nodded with a small laugh. "I appreciate how much you care, Avery, but it's not a big deal. My life isn't much impacted by their desperation to have someone to gossip about."

"Who owns the Daily Prophet right now?" Regulus asked suddenly. Adelaide blinked up at her brother curiously.

"I'm not sure."

"Yaxley, as a matter of fact."

Avery's eyes flashed. "Perhaps I _will_ punch him again."

Xx

Later that night found a much calmer Regulus and Adelaide sneaking away from the party and into Potter Manor. They walked around the halls happily, looking for a room they wanted to live in together, at least until Adelaide's room was redone to fit them both. When they found one down a hall that no one lived down, Adelaide turned to shut the door behind them. When she turned back around, she found herself in his arms, slipping into a sweet kiss.

"I don't know how to get out of this bloody dress," she laughed brightly, grinning. His eyes flashed at her and he leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"Let me help you."

She did as he requested and allowed him to move around to look at the careful way it had been put on and tied together. Unwilling to mess with the dress and risk hurting it, he pulled his wand. "_Solve fasciculos_," he whispered. Her dress loosened and he was able to carefully remove the satin pieces tying the corset of the dress together tightly. After that, she slipped out of the dress completely and he froze, staring at her.

"What?" she blinked, looking down at herself. "Don't stare at me like that. What is it?"

"Adelaide," he said softly, stepping over to grab her face in his hands. "I don't want to do anything you aren't ready for. I need you to be honest with me, okay? Can you do this tonight?"

She nodded and pressed a kiss to his lips gently. "I'm okay, Reg. I want to be with you, I want to be close like this."

He answered her by taking a step closer to remove the space between them and dive into a deep kiss that somehow never felt like enough. She slowly removed his robes as well, fumbling a little bit with his tie. He chuckled quietly, a noise that sent shivers down her spine, and helped to take it off. After that, things went a bit quicker, and soon they were both left in their underwear.

Regulus turned her around and, without removing his lips from hers, forced her to walk backward until she hit the bed and fell down on it. He followed her easily and before she knew it, he was sitting on top of her, staring down at her.

"Reg?"

"Mm?"

"I'm okay," she whispered. He took in a sharp breath at the words and nodded once. He leaned down and dove his tongue into her mouth again and unhooked the clasp at the front of her white lace bra. She let him push it off of her and shifted so that he could pull it away and throw it behind them on the floor.

He pulled out of the kiss and lowered himself down to flick his tongue over her nipple. She gasped sharply, pushing her fingers into his hair in response. He hummed as he continued what he was doing, and she forced her hands out of his hair to reach down and pull off her panties for him. The movement, apparently, startled him, because he looked up at her sharply, eyes wide.

"Addy?"

"You know you'll see me naked sometime, right, Reg? I mean… we're literally married now."

"I've been afraid," he told her softly, suddenly very serious. "I didn't want to push you and I don't want you to feel like this is something we have to do tonight. We're married, but I want- I _need_ you to feel safe and okay with what we're doing. I don't want to do it until you're ready."

"Is that why you never did more than give me a few terrible hickeys?"

"Yes."

"God, I love you," she shook her head happily. "But _please_ get back to what you were doing."

His worry melted away into a smirk, one that she did not think meant anything good for her. Instead of heading straight for her nipples, he placed a kiss on the corner of her mouth, her cheek, her jaw, her throat, and trailed down until he was hovering over her nipple. She could feel his breath on it and hated the way he was teasing her. Their intensified bond meant he clearly knew how she felt and she knew he found it extremely amusing.

"I hate you," she breathed. She jumped a little when he suddenly flicked his tongue over the nipple, the touch startling compared to moments before.

"If you hate me for this, you'll absolutely loathe me by the end of the night."

Xx

"Where'd they go?" Severus asked, looking around. "Black is being obnoxious about looking for them."

Avery made a face at his friend. "I caught them sneaking back inside. Probably best to just… leave it."

Severus blinked a few times, looking a bit nauseous. "_Great_."

Avery's reply was cut off by a shout nearby. The men spun around to catch sight of Katie Bell being levitated in the air and tortured at the same time. Avery was quicker than Severus in pulling his wand and throwing a _Bombarda_. Unfortunately, it hit the table next to the man dressed all in black that was hurting her. He dropped her and Apparated away.

"What the _fuck_?"

Xx

Adelaide laid in bed, smiling softly at the ceiling. She and Regulus had snuck off over an hour earlier. He had decided to shower while she wanted and needed to take some time - her legs were definitely still shaking, much to his amusement.

It was somewhere near midnight already and the party outside was still going. Adelaide considered joining them again, but the idea of putting her dress back on was a tiring one, so for the minute, she decided to stay there.

A crack sounded across from the bed, and she jumped, raising her hand immediately in defense. Nausea rolled through her at the sight of a smirking Dolohov.

"How the fuck did you get in here?" she asked, wasting her precious words. The second she asked, she considered a million better uses of the time she'd had to speak, the best of which being to scream for Regulus, whose shower was likely to cover the sound of Apparition.

"I was never locked out of the wards," he told her with a smirk, staring down at her. She hadn't bothered to put her clothes back on, something she deeply regretted at that moment. With her free hand, she pulled the blanket over herself again. "I was banned from the Potter Ball, but they never considered to lock me out of the wards."

"Get out," she told him, despising how her voice shook. "Get out, Dolohov."

He moved quicker than she did. He flicked his wand silently at her and she found her arms pulling her back down on the bed. Her arms were pinned by a magical force to the mattress and her panic heightened. He was stalking over to her, eyes on her partially exposed body. The blanket had fallen once more to reveal her chest to him.

"Regulus!" she screamed. His name was cut off by a silencing charm, but she was certain he'd have heard her. Unfortunately, Dolohov thought so, too. He waved his wand at the door to ward it shut, leaving her somewhat helpless. She watched him get on the bed and move forward until he sat once more on her legs.

"I would have taken you yesterday," he assured her softly, running his fingers over her hips, stomach, and ribs. "But your bloody guard dogs stopped me. Now, they're all distracted by the girl I tortured. Didn't even know it was me, I'd wager."

Adelaide's eyes widened in horror. He'd hurt someone else just to get to her. But _who_? She hated the part of her that thought that it didn't matter, that she'd rather someone else be tortured than he ever get to her again.

"What have you done?" he asked softly, leaning over her to touch her wedding band. "You shouldn't have fucking done that, Adelaide. You know you're mine."

Since he'd moved up to sit on her stomach, she pulled up her leg to hit his back. He grunted in pain and braced himself on the headboard. A spell pushed her legs back down and with fury in his eyes, he wrapped a hand around her throat and squeezed in warning.

"You shouldn't have let him touch you," he whispered, leaning down to look her in the eyes, their faces nearly touching. "Before today, it was just me, wasn't it? No one else."

She wished she could tell him he was wrong. Even if she wasn't silenced, they both knew it was a lie.

"No one else again," he informed her, squeezing a little tighter. Breathing became a bit harder as he slowly cut off her air supply. Without removing his hand from her throat or even lessening the pressure, he leaned down and licked the part of her neck that was still exposed. Apparently pleased, he bit down hard. She let out a whimper, unable to hold it back, and she could feel him smile a little bit. He kept biting down harder, much to her surprise and horror, until she could feel some blood dripping down onto her shoulder. He finally pulled back, some blood on his chin, and stared at her again. "Understand? No one else."

There was a faint pounding in the background that Adelaide finally realized had started a while ago and had to be Regulus. With their marriage bond, he could likely feel how afraid she was, and she wished he couldn't. Whatever happened, he would blame himself, and she knew it wasn't his fault.

Just as she was about to pass out from his hand on her neck, he let go of it. She could see him smirking down at her as he backed up until he was on her legs again. When he touched her, she felt tears fall down her cheeks and a terrible numbness overcome her. There was a short pause in the banging on the door before the entire thing flew off the hinges, breaking the wards and the door.

Regulus hit Dolohov with a nasty curse, one that Adelaide didn't recognize. Dolohov was thrown off of her and to the floor. Before Regulus could continue hexing and cursing him, Dolohov got to his feet and twisted on his heel. He was gone just as the next curse could hit him.

The only thing that kept Regulus from raging at that very moment was Adelaide. She made no noise and didn't move, but he could feel her beginning to break down. He shifted his attention to her and used a silent _Finite Incantatum_ to remove each spell from her as he reached the bed. She threw herself into his arms, shaking madly.

"What did he do?" he asked in a whisper, afraid of her answer.

She didn't answer at all for a couple of minutes, trying to calm down. Finally, she pulled away and he got a look of the bite mark, blood, and the bruises forming around her neck.

"He-," Regulus cut himself off, staring at her. "We need to clean that out, Addy."

She nodded silently and reached out for him. He helped her to her feet and led to into the bathroom, where he ran her a hot bath and used a soft hand towel to take care of the bite mark. By the time they'd cleaned it out and disinfected it, dittany didn't do much more than close it up. There was clearly a scar, and both of them knew that it was Dolohov's goal.

"I need to get bruise paste," he told her gently. "Will you be okay?"

She shook her head, too tired to lie.

Regulus frowned. "Ginny?" That brought a nod from her, so he sent off a Patronus for the redhead. To his annoyance, Ginny arrived with Avery. He barely had time to throw up a privacy screen for Adelaide before the man entered the bathroom.

"What happened? Did he come here?"

Regulus's eyes sharpened on Avery. "He was at the party?"

"Tortured Katie Bell," Ginny confirmed. "We're not sure who-,"

"Dolohov," he interrupted. "I need you to stay with her while I go get some things."

"Yeah," Ginny agreed, moving to the other side of the privacy spell to grab onto Adelaide's hand. Regulus stared at Avery, unsure.

"Either come with me or stay and make sure he doesn't come back."

Avery glanced at the hidden bathtub. "I'll stay. What did he-,"

"Don't ask," Regulus snapped. "If she tells you, she tells you."

With that, Regulus left the room, only pausing to kiss Adelaide's forehead and remind her that she was safe.

"D'you have calming draught?" Ginny asked Adelaide softly.

"I don't need one," she answered. "I just don't want to- he doesn't need-,"

"Okay," Ginny nodded. "And this bath? Red soap or?"

"Blood," she answered. "I want to get out."

"Out, Avery," Ginny said. He was standing at the door with his wand out and ready to fight. He glanced back despite the privacy shield being up.

"Yell for me," he requested.

After he left, Ginny helped Adelaide dry off and summoned her some clothes from her room. Once she put them on, the two women walked out to the bedroom together and Adelaide winced at the sight of the bed.

"Fuck," Avery cursed, unable to stop himself. His eyes lingered on the bruises over her neck and the new scar. She raised her fingers to touch the bruises and winced at the pain.

"He said he was never locked out of the wards," she said softly. "He was mad at me for getting married and he said- he locked Reg in the bathroom."

"_Fuck_," Avery cursed again. She met his eyes for a long moment before stepping to hug him tightly. Somewhat surprised, he hesitated before he hugged her back, finding it a bit comforting after the sight of her injuries. "I'm sorry, Addy."

"Not your fault," she promised him. "He stole my wedding from me, Avery."

"No, he didn't," he disagreed, squeezing her a little tighter. "He can never take marrying Regulus from you. He can't take the marriage bond you have. He can't take the love you feel, or the way you're going to spend the rest of your life with your soulmate."

"Her- Adelaide," Ginny said softly. "When he Imperiused you, did he-,"

"No," she shook her head. "He just made me kiss him and grabbed me a little bit. It was at the ball that he… and he tried to in third year."

"I knew it," Ginny whispered, reaching up to rub her arm. "Well, we can throw him in Azkaban, too, since we can't kill him."

Adelaide gasped and jumped back to grab onto her chest, an intense wave of absolute fury running through her. It almost _hurt_. "Reg- he's about to do something stupid."

Avery cursed loudly and looked at Ginny. Confident that she'd protect Adelaide, he cast a Patronus and followed it up to the fifth floor where his best friend's soulmate was throwing curses at the practice dummies. He could see it before Regulus cast it- a Killing Curse on his lips being sent at the next dummy in line, this one a dummy that would throw the curse back at you by recreating it. Avery moved quickly and disarmed Regulus, catching his wand carefully.

"Fuck!" Regulus shouted, spinning around to glare at him darkly. "Give it back, Avery."

"You're fucking selfish," Avery said, ignoring his demand. "You're married! She can fucking feel everything now, Black. She's scared and _hurt_ and if you don't get the bloody bruise paste to her soon, it'll take three weeks instead of one to heal the damn bruises."

"Did you see her?" he asked angrily, magic potent in the air. "Did you _see_ what he did?"

"Yes."

"He _marked _her, Avery. That's what it's supposed to be- what it means. He did it before he killed, remember? He'd mark them like that to say that they belong to _him_. In a public place deep enough to scar. And that's all that we can see! We don't know what he said or did!"

"It doesn't matter," Avery shot back. "You're her husband now. So get over yourself and go take care of her while I find your brother to fix the damn wards."

Regulus shifted, suddenly realizing once more that the man could, theoretically, return. With a stiff nod, he grabbed his wand back and made his way out of the room. Avery sucked in a deep breath and took only a moment to collect himself before he Apparated out of the room to the yard. Luckily, Sirius was in a rather public place trying to talk to the scared crowd. He made his way over to him and touched his arm to get his attention.

"What?" Sirius asked, glancing between him and the crowd. "What is it?"

"You need to fix these wards," he said slowly. "Quickly."

"_Why_?"

"That was Dolohov, Sirius. He got to her and he can come back if you don't adjust the wards."

Sirius paled and looked out over the crowd. "Harry! Harry, come here!"

"What is it?" the younger man asked, rushing up to him. "What's wrong?"

"Wards," he answered, looking back to Avery. "Get them to Grimmauld Place, all of them. Where's Addy?"

"Ginny is with her. Regulus should be with her soon, too."

Sirius sighed and looked at the crowd, raising his voice to speak to them. "I think we should probably stick together. Avery here is gonna take you all over to Grimmauld Place for a bit while Harry and I adjust the wards to make sure nothing else happens."

"Where are they?" Severus asked Avery, ignoring Sirius.

"Upstairs," he answered, shaking his head. "Don't go up there. They're fine."

"Liar," Draco muttered, turning to walk into the house, mostly unnoticed.

It took them a while to get everyone to agree to go to Grimmauld Place. Then Sirius had to pop over and open the floo. Avery sent everyone over and counted them three times before he locked the floo to keep them there. With that done, he readied himself to return.

Xx


	14. Chapter 13

**August 1st, 1998**

**Potter Manor**

Avery was forced to Apparate outside the wards in fear of being Splinched by trying to Apparate into reset wards. He found he was still able to enter them, so he ran up to the third floor and found everyone - Regulus, Adelaide, Ginny, and Draco - in Adelaide's room. He didn't blame them for moving. The room they'd been in had blood on the pillow and sheets.

"What's happening?" Adelaide asked immediately. She looked no better and no worse, but he was confident that she'd taken something for pain and had used the bruise paste.

"Everyone is at Grimmauld Place," he answered her, walking to stand next to her. She was sitting on a chair by the window with everyone hovering around her. "Harry and Sirius are updating the wards. He won't get in here again."

"How's Katie?" she asked softly. "How long did he have her? His _Crucio_ is… it's worse than Bellatrix."

Avery did his best not to wince. "She's okay. Taken a few potions. She'll be fine."

"You haven't answered me," Draco reminded her, annoyed. "You've avoided the question every bloody time I ask you, Black. How often do we need to set up our sessions for?"

"We don't," she answered, making a face. "I'm fine."

"You're a bloody liar," he accused. "You told everyone that he fucking tortured you more than once. You don't give a shit about getting better."

"I'm tired of getting better," she snapped. "He didn't torture me tonight if that's what you're worried about."

"He's worried about _you_," Ginny told her gently, kneeling down to grab her hands. "We all are. And I know you hate it, okay, but that doesn't change anything. If you let us take care of you, you'll get better sooner and we'll be a lot less worried."

Adelaide looked at her new husband. He was tense, but he offered her a small, genuine smile. The sight of it calmed her greatly, something that surprised him. She nodded a little and looked at Draco. "Okay. Fine. However often you'd suggest. Just stop being an arse, please, Draco."

"Not sure he can do that- _holy shit_," Harry shouted, freezing in the door to her room. His eyes landed on her throat and he looked vaguely sick.

"Shit," Sirius cursed softly, looking over his godson's shoulder. He moved Harry aside gently and made his way over to her. She let him tug her to her feet and wrap her up in a tight hug. "Addy."

"I'm okay," she lied despite the way she clung onto him tightly. "The wards, are they-,"

"Fixed," he assured her. "Everyone that was here tonight except for Dolohov will be welcome back. Anyone else will have to be keyed into the wards before they can come over."

"What did he _do_?" Harry asked, staring at the way Sirius held her tightly. "Your throat-,"

"Harry," Ginny snapped. "Don't."

"It's okay," Adelaide promised. She moved out of the hug but stayed tucked into his side. "We can't cover it with a glamour anyway."

"_What_?" Sirius asked, staring down at her in concern. "Why not, kitten?"

"The bond," Draco said for her. "For whatever reason, she can't glamour any injuries he gives her. I believe it would be the same with Regulus - a part of a soul bond."

"But they'll go away?" Harry wondered, looking at the bruises and the freshly healed bite mark.

"The bruises," she confirmed quietly. "It'll take a while, probably."

"The bite mark? Why the hell would he _bite_ you? He's not a werewolf, is he?"

"He's not," she answered.

"Shit," Sirius cursed again, reaching over to gently touch the bite mark. "Shit, kitten. He did this- did you ever see his victims after he killed them?"

"Yeah," she sighed softly, the images of the dead bodies burned into her mind. "Once with… with James."

"James?" Sirius's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "When?"

She shifted a little uncomfortably and moved over to Regulus. He wrapped an arm around her in support and she looked at Sirius, making a face. "You remember when you got hit with that curse that vanished your entire left arm?"

"_What_?" Harry asked in shock, staring between his best friend and his godfather's left arm as if expecting it to disappear.

"Yeah, I was in a coma for like two days while they grew it back," Sirius confirmed, taking a moment to laugh at Harry. "It's a nasty curse, don't look it up."

"Well, Moody told me he _needed_ another Hit Wizard. They'd gotten a tip about girls being held hostage by a high ranking Death Eater. He's seen me fight and we'd worked together in the Order so much that… he sort of made me a Hit Wizard."

"_What_?" Regulus asked, leaning back to stare down at her in shock. "For how long? Shit, Addy."

"Not long," she assured everyone. "Just a few days. Well, I only worked for a few days. He told me he'd call me if he ever needed me."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Sirius asked her with a small frown.

"Because of what we found," she told him quietly. "Jamie and I went to this warehouse. It was mostly empty, but there was… so many bodies. Dolohov was there with another girl. She was still alive. The reason Jamie never told you is because I… I Obliviated him."

"_What the fuck Adelaide_?"

"I don't think I'll tell you why because all of you but Ginny are likely to get really pissed off," she said, glancing at the redhead. "But James had a chance to save the girl. I tried to get him to go, but he refused. She died."

"James would never abandon someone that needs help," Sirius disagreed immediately.

"He didn't," Regulus said, paling.

"Reg, it's okay," she assured him. She could feel understanding pass through him as he tensed around her. "It's okay."

"It's not okay," he disagreed. "Did you _know_ before you went that it was Dolohov? Is that why you went? To get him to bloody kill you?"

"Regulus," Avery snapped. "_Calm down_. What are you talking about?"

"The reason she Obliviated James," Regulus began, making eye contact with his brother. "Is because she decided to distract Dolohov by handing herself over so that he could get the girl out of there. James must have refused and the girl died."

"Adelaide!" Sirius exclaimed, glaring at the girl in question. "After everything he's done to you, you just handed yourself over?"

"I Obliviated him because he was furious and devastated," she said calmly, ignoring their anger. "He yelled at me for hours. I wasn't hurt too bad, but he was so angry that he didn't even care if I _was_. And he wouldn't let it go, he kept threatening to tell Moody what I'd done, tell you, Sirius, somehow tell you, Reg, and… it was too much. I'd never be allowed to a raid again and… I think he managed to tell Moody since he didn't ask me for help again despite how much they needed it."

"I can't believe you Obliviated my dad," Harry muttered, eyes wide. "How could you?"

"Trust me, Harry, it wasn't anything he wanted to remember," she assured him. "He's never _seen_ Dolohov hurt me, not until that day, and it terrified him so much that he ignored the girl and kept trying to get to me. He was so mad at me, felt so guilty… I did him a favor by taking that away from him. Dorea yelled at me a lot, though."

"_Mum_ knew?" Sirius asked her in shock. "Fuck, Addy, what the hell did he do to you that night?"

"So yes, I know why he bites people," she said, ignoring his words. "He's… marking me as his. Lines up pretty well with what he was saying, too. I could have figured it out without seeing the women he's murdered. He was angry and… it makes sense."

"Why would he be angry?" Ginny asked. Sirius and Regulus both glared at her, but she just watched Adelaide carefully. "You're not telling us something. Tell Regulus at least."

Adelaide snorted. "It'd piss him off more than you, Gin."

"What happened?" Regulus asked her, suddenly concerned. "What did he say to you?"

Adelaide glanced around the room and rolled her eyes. "Regulus and I snuck away to have sex."

"Yes!" Sirius exclaimed, gathering stares. He paused. "Not that you had sex. I won my bet with Mini Tonks about _when_ you'd sneak off to have sex."

"Merlin's sake, Sirius," Regulus muttered in annoyance.

"Reg was showering when Dolohov got here. I wasn't dressed. He knew… he knew. He told me I was his, told me…"

"You don't have to," Avery reminded her when she hesitated. She nodded and looked away from everyone.

"He just tried to make it clear that, according to him, I'm his."

"His?" Harry frowned in confusion. "Like… because of the bond?"

Ginny stared at her ex-boyfriend, surprised by his ignorance. "I love you, Harry, but you're pretty thick."

"It's fine," Adelaide assured her. "I don't exactly want him to know. That's why I went to you when…"

"Yeah," Ginny nodded with a small smile. "He can stay thick, then."

"Should I be offended?" Harry asked Sirius, his brow furrowed. Sirius ruffled his hair.

"No, Pup. This isn't something you want to know."

"You went to _Weasley_ after they-,"

"I'll fucking hex you," Adelaide warned Draco sharply. He cut off, remembering quickly that she'd told him she hadn't told many people.

"You went to her and still didn't tell me?"

"I've told you why," she reminded him, her patience running out. "And they're damn good reasons, Malfoy. You'd have fucking lost it and gotten yourself bloody killed or something."

Draco just scowled in response.

"Let's get you over to Grimmauld Place, kitten," Sirius suggested. "No offense, love, but you look exhausted. Sleep might help."

"Yeah," she agreed, looking to Regulus. He squeezed her tighter in his arm and led her out of the room so that the entire group could make their way over to the Black property.

Xx

"I don't _want_ to be fucking Lord Black doing all the Lord Black bullshit," Sirius complained to Remus and Avery. Severus had left to the library and the newly married couple had already gone to bed. Avery had come to the realization that he wasn't sure where he would live, how he'd make money, or what he would do. "But since I _am_ Lord Black and Harry's my godson and will do about anything I ask him to, you'll live in Potter Manor with us."

Avery rolled his eyes. "I don't think your title of Lord Black has anything to do with this situation."

"It does," Sirius assured him with a small nod. "But I don't wanna make you feel like shit or anything, so I won't pull that card unless you argue."

"Padfoot," Remus sighed, smacking his arm. "Don't threaten him."

"Fine," Sirius raised an eyebrow at Avery. "You know how disappointed Adelaide would be if you didn't stay close. If Moony didn't have a family, I'm almost certain she'd be begging him to move in, too."

"No manipulation, either!"

"I'll stay," Avery said, putting his hands up. "I'll stay. I'm concerned about her living there, however. Too many horrible things have happened to her there. Dolohov at the ball, your mother tried to kill her and nearly did, Dolohov again on the bloody night of her wedding. Do you really think it's a good idea?"

"I don't know," Sirius admitted. "I plan to open up Black Manor and have a million curse breakers go through all that shit. Once it's all cleaned out, I think we'll move there. Let Harry keep Potter Manor for himself and whatever family he has someday."

"The issue will be convincing her," Remus spoke up. "Her only experience at Black Manor was your grandfather stealing all of her memories."

Sirius's eyes darkened. "Why can't she have anything good? Why does it all have to be this dark shit?"

"Because her life is dark," Remus reasoned. "Or it was. Hopefully now that she's back, some of that will go away."

"Have you not considered that perhaps she would like to find her own place with Regulus?" Avery asked. He found it interesting to sit with the two Marauders for the simple fact that he'd never really spent time with them alone. He was not in the least surprised to find them complaining about Adelaide's life.

Sirius laughed. "Are you kidding me? I told you that she clung to me during the war. I'd be shocked if she doesn't want to stay as close to as many people as possible."

"Fair point."

"So what exactly is her plan?" Remus asked them. "Does she plan to hide away until we find and handle Dolohov? That doesn't seem much like her."

"No, it doesn't," Sirius agreed with a frown. "I don't know. We didn't talk about her plans much."

"She won't put her life on hold until he's arrested," Avery agreed. "Which means we just have to look after her. I doubt she'll disagree with that."

"I think I can do that," Sirius said, leaning back in his chair. "At least until she gets sick of me and hexes me."

"We can all do that," Remus corrected. "I'm a bit concerned about Harry and Ginny and her younger friends. They have a lot to get used to. Adelaide is so different from Hermione that it might take a while."

"How different is she, really?" Avery wondered curiously. He'd not been told much of her time growing up originally and it was interesting to see her interact with friends that didn't even know who she was anymore. "What about her is different?"

"I was with her in the war both times," Sirius said slowly, frowning down at his intertwined fingers. "Hermione was more scared and less angry. Hermione fought, she did what she had to do, but she felt horrible. Hermione…. Fought for something. A better future. Adelaide didn't have that. She knew what would happen. She didn't have anything to fight for other than the fact that she had to."

"Aside from the war, Hermione was quieter. Her temper wasn't any smaller, but she channeled it differently," Remus added. "She never cursed and often scolded Ron and Harry when they did."

"And me," Sirius narrowed his eyes, remembering the times he'd bicker with Hermione. "Our tempers clashed quite a bit."

"And you're worried for how she'll adjust?" Avery wondered. The old friends exchanged a glance as they separately considered the question.

"I'm worried that she's still got all of that anger in her and nowhere to put it," Sirius decided. "Her friends will adjust, I'm sure. I'll talk to Harry because I know he's got questions, mostly about Dolohov. Maybe I shouldn't be, but I'm worried that her friends won't react well to Addy. Won't accept it, I suppose."

Remus nodded along. "Harry and Hermione were crushed when they lost Ron. I couldn't say for sure that he won't feel like he's now losing Hermione, too."

"What'll you do?" Sirius asked Avery. The man fell silent as he thought about the question.

"I've been stuck with Dolohov since I was a small child," he began slowly, picking his words carefully. "He tormented me for many years. When that changed and he began to torment others, I felt helpless to stop it. I walked into the common room that night in third year… as ashamed as I am to admit it, I considered leaving. If Dolohov knew it was me… it was selfish. I helped Adelaide and I knew that decision was one that would change my life."

"So?" Sirius wondered, tense. He'd never even considered that Avery would have done anything but help Adelaide, especially with how clearly he hated Dolohov.

"So I will stick with that decision. Adelaide needs all the help she can get. She has Regulus by her side, but if he isn't there, I will be."

"And I-,"

"Will raise your damn kid," Sirius rolled his eyes at Remus. "And keep him the fuck away from Adelaide until Dolohov gets arrested, got it?"

"Sirius-,"

"I mean it. Adelaide will adore Teddy forever, but only as soon as Dolohov can't get to her. I'm sure she'd agree. I'm sure Tonks would agree."

"Yeah," Remus sighed softly. "Yeah, you're right."

"Good," Sirius nodded firmly. "Now, let's get some drinks and get fucking drunk. We've got a lot of protecting to do, so I'd like to drink while I can."

"I think I can agree with that."

"Yeah… yeah, sure."

OoOoOoOoOoOo


	15. Thank you

Hello. I thought I should say a bit more about this fic as I see that a few people are confused by the fact that I marked it complete.

It is complete, but perhaps I shouldn't have marked it that way. I know it doesn't seem complete, I know it seems like there is more to the story or should be.

For me, this story is over. It is a very personal one. I wrote this while going through therapy for some very personal issues. My therapist suggested I use my writing as an outlet.

Adelaide is and always will be one of my favorite characters. She has a unique view on life and the world and experiences different to my other characters. She will always be valued despite where she came from.

I can't say much about how it ended. I just realized one day, after leaving this sitting for some time, that I never really had an ending for her. Adelaide is a person who will always be haunted by her demons, the person that hurt her will always be there, chasing after her. That's just not me, and it took me some time to realize that.

When I did, I knew giving her any sort of ending wouldn't be good enough, simply because it's not who she is. Adelaide was created for the purpose of being haunted, but she got her happy ending - she got back to the future and got to marry her soulmate. If anyone reads my other fics, you'll know that she's gotten farther than my other characters have yet.

I appreciate everyone who read this and reviewed and apologize for marking it as complete - it isn't and truly never will be.

That being said, I may write more of her later on. She is involved in a multiverse fic that is a crossover of all of my fics posted. It's called The Multiple Trios Dilemma and it's just recently been posted in total - and _that_ is definitely a complete story.

Thank you again. This story came from a deep place in me and it makes me happy that some people can enjoy that.


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